Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Recent IELTS Exams (Canada & India) · 2026-10-15

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 given charts show how much time spend in various daily life activities by the employed youth in 1958 and 2008.

Overall, the older generation mainly were focused into working hours in both years. Also, it was increased by ten percent in 2008. While a sleeping hours and plans for going outside also got reduced. Whereas the people increased their spendings in travel and in sports.

In 1958, a working hours have been highest among all the other activities with upto 30% stake, followed by a sleeping and less than 20% in roaming with friends and family. Although giving only 8% of time to relax at home. A least time is given to travel and it was around 2%.

Later in 2008, a time for work is increased to 42% and a sleep cycle reduced to quarter. whereas there was a slight increase in relaxation and it came upto 13%. Also, going with friends had a drastic decline and it came to 6%. While traveling and sports had same 7%.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You identify the main shifts: work takes a larger share in 2008, while sleep and socialising decline, and travel and sport account for more time. The overview also recognises the broad contrast between the years, and most figures you mention match the charts. However, some reporting is imprecise: work was 33% in 1958, not merely “up to 30%,” and sleep fell from 32% to 25%, rather than simply “to a quarter.” The opening also misidentifies the group as “employed youth” and the overview refers to an “older generation,” although the charts describe working adults. You cover the key features, but clearer, more exact comparisons and a fuller account of the 1958 figures would make the summary more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and separate paragraphs for each year. This makes the main comparison easy to follow, and phrases such as “In 1958” and “Later in 2008” help signal the sequence. However, cohesion is sometimes mechanical or unclear. The overview strings together several points with “Also,” “While,” and “Whereas,” and the final paragraph uses “whereas” and “while” in ways that do not clearly connect the ideas. Some references, such as “it” in “it was increased” and “it came to 6%,” could be more explicit. Grouping the largest categories and the notable changes into clearer comparison sentences would improve progression.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use enough vocabulary to describe the main categories and changes, including “increased,” “reduced,” “slight increase,” and “drastic decline.” However, several choices are imprecise or unnatural for describing a pie chart. “Stake” is not the best term for a percentage share, “sleep cycle” does not mean the proportion of the day spent sleeping, and “roaming with friends and family” is an awkward substitute for going out. “Spendings” is also unsuitable here. These choices sometimes make the intended meaning less clear, even though the reader can generally understand the comparisons. Aim for precise chart language and natural collocations, such as “accounted for,” “share,” and “time spent socialising.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including comparisons across years, but errors in sentence structure and basic forms are noticeable and sometimes make the relationships between ideas unclear. Examples include “how much time spend,” “a working hours have been highest,” and the fragment “Although giving only 8% of time to relax at home.” The overview also has faulty constructions in “it was increased” and “a sleeping hours.” Capitalisation after full stops is inconsistent, as in “whereas” after a period. Work on complete clauses, articles and plural agreement, and practise forming accurate comparison sentences. More reliable control of these patterns would make your range easier to follow.

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

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