Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Recent IELTS Exams (Canada & India) · 2026-10-19

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 rendered pie charts comparatively represent the proportion of time allocated by working adults on distinct activities between 1958 and 2008.

Overall, it is an evident that maximum percentage of time spent by people on work place while minimum on travelling to work in the given time period.

After analyzing the pie charts, it can be seen that 33% of time utilised by adults on working in 1958 which was 10% more in next year. In contrast, relaxing at home was noticed at 13% in 2008 and 5% less in first year. Nevertheless, for playing sports they have less time in both years which was under 7%.

Getting back into details, almost similar ratio of time allocated by adults on going out with family and travelling to work in last year at 7% while in first year it was 19% and 2% respectively. Interestingly, a quarter time was accounted for sleeping in 2008 which was 7% higher in 1958.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify several relevant comparisons, including the rise in working time from 33% to 42%, the fall in sleeping from 32% to 25%, and the changes in travel and socialising. However, the overview is not fully accurate: work was the largest category in both years, but travelling was the smallest only in 1958; in 2008, going out and playing sports were both 6%? The chart shows going out at 6% and sports at 7%, so going out was smallest. More importantly, sports appears only in 2008, not both years, and the claim that adults had less than 7% for sports in both years is unsupported. State the main overall shifts clearly and report the categories and figures precisely; the current overview and some details are unclear or incomplete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and two detail paragraphs. This helps the reader follow the comparison, and phrases such as “In contrast” and “Interestingly” signal relationships between points. However, progression is not consistently clear. The overview’s claim about the minimum category is not qualified by year, and “Nevertheless, for playing sports…” interrupts the comparison without a clear link to the preceding point. “Getting back into details” is an awkward transition, while the final paragraph groups socialising, travel, and sleeping without a clear organising principle. Grouping increases and decreases separately, and using more precise references such as “in 1958” and “by 2008,” would make the organisation more coherent and cohesion less mechanical.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of task-related vocabulary, including “proportion,” “allocated,” “in contrast,” and “accounted for,” and the meaning is generally understandable. There are also attempts at less common phrasing, such as “rendered pie charts comparatively represent,” but this is not a natural collocation and makes the opening less clear. “Work place” is an imprecise choice for the activity of working, and “in last year” does not clearly express the year 2008. The phrase “under 7%” is also an unsuitable way to describe the sports figure. Aim for straightforward, accurate chart language rather than ornate wording: for example, “the charts compare,” “time spent working,” and “in 2008.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including a contrast clause beginning “which was 10% more” and a sentence introduced by “Although” is not present; your use of “while” in the final paragraph does connect two time periods. However, some grammatical errors remain and occasionally make relationships unclear. In “it is an evident that,” the article and adjective form are incorrect; “it is evident that” is the appropriate structure. Several clauses omit a clear subject or verb, as in “33% of time utilised by adults on working,” and “which was 10% more in next year” has an unclear reference and missing article. Check sentence completeness, articles, and clause structure, while retaining your attempts to vary sentence patterns.

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

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