Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Recent IELTS Exams (Canada & India) · 2026-10-10

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

The pie charts below show how working adults in a particular country spent their time in 1958 and 2008.

Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

* Note: these aren’t the original diagrams given in the test, they were recreated for the purpose of demonstration.

Student answer (Band 5.5)

The pie chart illustrate how a person who works used to spent their time in 1958 and 2008 in a particular country.

Overall, working, realxing at home, travelling for work and playing sports has increased from 1958 to 2008 and sleeping and going out with friends and family has decreased.

The data shows that working adults used to work 33% of their entire day in 1958 which is increased to 42% in 2008, They used to go out with friends and family more in 1958 which decreased from 19% to 6% in 2009, people were sleeping more in 1958 from 32% of their day spent sleeping to just 25% in 2008.

The data also shows that people were playing sports in 1958 but that increased just a bit in 2008 which is a good thing but people also used to travel less in 1958 which increased by 5% in 2008, people used to relax less at home in 1958 which also increased by 5% in 2008.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify several important changes, including the rise in working time from 33% to 42%, the fall in sleeping from 32% to 25%, and the decline in socialising from 19% to 6%. However, the overview is not fully accurate: playing sports cannot be described as having increased, because the chart gives no sports figure for 1958. The statement that all four other activities increased also overlooks this missing baseline. In addition, “in 2009” is incorrect; the chart compares 1958 with 2008. Some categories receive only vague treatment, such as saying sports increased “just a bit.” A clearer overview and precise reporting of the remaining figures would make the main features more complete and reliable.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, an overview and two paragraphs of supporting details. This gives the reader a basic route through the comparison. However, progression within the detail paragraphs is uneven: several figures are joined in long, comma-linked sentences, particularly the paragraph beginning “The data shows that working adults…”. The repeated openings “The data shows” and “people used to” also make the linking mechanical. Grouping the activities with increases together, then those that decreased, and using clearer sentence boundaries would improve the flow. The overview’s broad grouping is also difficult to follow because it includes sports despite the absence of a 1958 figure.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use relevant vocabulary such as “increased,” “decreased,” “entire day,” and “spent sleeping,” so the basic comparisons are understandable. However, the range is limited and several expressions are imprecise or repetitive. “Used to” is repeated throughout, although it usually refers to past habits rather than simply describing chart data. “Travel for work” is less precise than the chart’s “travelling to work,” and “increased just a bit” is informal and vague. There are also spelling errors, including “realxing.” Aim for a wider set of accurate reporting verbs and nouns, such as “accounted for,” “rose,” “fell,” and “proportion,” while keeping the wording formal and specific.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response communicates its main comparisons, but grammatical errors are frequent and the sentence structures are mostly simple or joined in ways that are difficult to control. For example, “The pie chart illustrate” has subject–verb disagreement, while “used to spent” uses the wrong verb form. In “which is increased to 42%,” the verb construction is faulty; a direct past-tense form would be clearer. Several sentences run together with commas, especially the long sentence comparing work, socialising and sleep, and the capital letter after the comma in “2008, They” is incorrect. Practise accurate past-tense reporting and divide related comparisons into complete sentences; this will make the information easier to read.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

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