Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Recent IELTS Exams (Canada & India) · 2026-10-16

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 charts illustrate the percentages of the six activities of teenager was working per day in their particular country in 1958 and 2008.

Overall, it is clear that the working took up largest share of time in 1958 and 2008 while traveling to work accounted for the samllest portion on those time period.

Working hours accounted for 33% in 1958 and substantially 42% in 2008. Sleeping timing 32% in 1958 declined 25% in 2008. Going out with friends/family is dramatically decreaseed 19% to 6% in 2008.

Meanwhile, traveling to work roughly increased in 2% to 7% in 2008. Relaxing at home was positive changed 8% in 1958 and sharply 13% in 2008. Playing sports was new era add in 2008 it has current situated 7%.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify several important comparisons and report the main figures accurately: working rises from 33% to 42%, while sleeping and socialising fall from 32% to 25% and 19% to 6%. You also include the new sports category in 2008. However, the overview is not fully accurate: travelling was the smallest category in 1958, but in 2008 it was tied with sports at 7%, rather than being the smallest share across both years. The opening also misidentifies the group as “teenager” instead of working adults. The response is 24 words below the required minimum, and several points are presented too briefly to give a sufficiently complete summary.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, an overview and two paragraphs of comparisons. “Overall” and “Meanwhile” help signal the organisation, and the figures are generally grouped by activity. However, progression is limited because most details appear as short, separate statements, and the final paragraph combines several unrelated changes without developing their relationship. Some linking is also awkward or unclear, such as “Meanwhile” before the travel and home-leisure figures, which does not establish a clear contrast. A more deliberate sequence—first the largest changes, then the smaller categories—would make the comparison easier to follow. Use complete, connected sentences and clearer transitions between the two years and activity groups.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use relevant task vocabulary, including “accounted for,” “declined,” and “increased,” and the activity labels make the data understandable. However, the range is limited and several word choices or forms are inaccurate, sometimes making the meaning difficult to interpret. Examples include “Sleeping timing,” “positive changed,” and “new era add in 2008”; these do not express the intended trends naturally. There are also spelling errors such as “samllest” and “decreaseed.” Aim for precise chart language and accurate collocations, for example, “the proportion spent sleeping fell” or “sports appeared as a category in 2008.” Reusing the chart labels is preferable to forcing unfamiliar expressions.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple statements and a more complex overview, but the range is limited and errors occur frequently. Several sentences lack the grammatical structure needed to express a comparison: “Sleeping timing 32% in 1958 declined 25% in 2008” needs a clear subject and verb phrase, while “Relaxing at home was positive changed 8% in 1958 and sharply 13% in 2008” has faulty verb forms and sentence construction. The opening also has problems with number and agreement in “the six activities of teenager was working.” These errors can make relationships between figures unclear. Practise complete comparative sentences with consistent past-tense verbs, such as “The proportion of the day spent sleeping fell from 32% to 25%.”

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

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