Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Recent IELTS Exams (Canada & India) · 2026-10-11

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 illustrates the working adults in a specefic country spent their time between 1958 and 2008.

Overall, working recorded the highest proportion of the day spent by employed individual in various activities, whereas in 1958 travelling to work had the lowest percentage. While, in 2008 going out with friend/family accumulated the less proportion of employed adult.

On the other hand, in 1958 working encountered at 33%, sleeping for 32%, going out with friends or family accumulated to 19%, relaxing at home for 8%, plating sports for 7%, and travelling to work experienced the lowest percentage of the day spent at 2%.

Moreover, working recorded the highest proportion accounted for 42%, sleeping 25%, relaxing at home at 13%, travelling to work and plating sports remained the same proportion for 7%, and going out with friend and family has the experienced the less proportion of workers day spent accumulated to 6%.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the main pattern that work took the largest share in both years and correctly report most of the key figures, including work (33% to 42%), sleep (32% to 25%), and socialising (19% to 6%). The overview also notes the lowest categories in each year. However, the account is not fully accurate: playing sports is shown only in 2008, at 7%, but you include it among the 1958 activities. The overview could also make the major changes clearer, especially the rise in work and travel and the fall in socialising. A more selective comparison of these shifts, rather than listing every figure, would make the main features more fully developed.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and separate descriptions of the two years. This gives the reader a generally coherent route through the information. However, the progression is weakened by the connector “On the other hand,” which does not express a clear contrast at that point, and “While,” begins an incomplete or awkwardly attached clause in the overview. The repeated use of “recorded,” “proportion,” and “accumulated” also makes the links between points feel mechanical. Grouping the most important increases and decreases into a clearer comparison, and using simpler transitions such as “By contrast” or “Meanwhile” only where appropriate, would improve cohesion.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a reasonable range of chart-related vocabulary, including “proportion,” “highest,” “lowest,” and “accounted for,” and the intended comparisons are usually understandable. However, several choices are inaccurate or unnatural: “working encountered at 33%,” “accumulated to 19%,” and “the less proportion” do not collocate naturally with percentages. There are also spelling errors, including “specefic” and “plating,” and inconsistent forms such as “friend/family.” Prefer precise, familiar expressions such as “accounted for,” “stood at,” “the smallest share,” and “spending time with friends and family.” More accurate word choice and spelling would make the description clearer and more fluent.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple statements and more complex structures, including the overview sentence beginning “While” and the comparison introduced by “whereas.” The main information is generally recoverable, but some grammatical errors make sentences awkward or incomplete. For example, “While, in 2008…” is not properly connected to the preceding clause, and “going out with friend and family has the experienced…” contains an unclear verb construction and agreement problems. In “working recorded the highest proportion accounted for 42%,” the sentence structure also makes the relationship between the subject and figure difficult to follow. Aim for complete, direct clauses, such as “In 2008, working accounted for 42% of the day,” and check articles, plurals, and verb forms.

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

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