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 pie charts illutrate , how employees in a particular country spent time in 1958 and 2008.

overall, in both years , the time spent on working and sleepind thended to record the highest percentaged . while workers tend to go out with friends or family in 1958 mote than in 2008 , which they tend to relax more at home .

bitween year 1958 and 2008 , the time spent on day by workers tend to accounted for 33% and 42 % , making it the the highest proortion , which in 2007 tend to increas more . in second level , sleeing recorded high figuers as well in both years , with 32% in 1958 and 25% in 2008 . comparing to 1958 people who tended to spend time relaxing more at home were accounted for 13% rather than going out with friend and family which declined from 19% to only 6% by ther year 2008 . playing sports become more common in 2008 wich recorded 7% , while travelling to work increased from 2% to 7 %in 2008 .

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify several important patterns: working takes the largest share in both years and rises from 33% to 42%, while sleeping falls from 32% to 25% and socialising drops from 19% to 6%. You also include the increases in travel and time relaxing at home, and mention sports in 2008. However, the overview is not fully clear: it groups working and sleeping as the highest categories without highlighting the major shift towards work and away from going out. There is also a factual slip when you refer to 2007 rather than 2008. Make the overview more precise and compare the main changes directly; this would make the relevant information more fully developed.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure, moving from an introduction and overview to a paragraph of figures, and it uses comparison signals such as “while,” “rather than” and “from…to.” This gives the reader a general sense of the chart’s changes. However, the overview is a long, unclear sentence, and the final paragraph packs many comparisons together, so the progression between categories is difficult to follow. Some links are also awkward or confusing, particularly “which they tend to relax more at home” and “in second level.” Organise the details into clearer groups—for example, increases in one part and decreases in another—and use linking phrases only where their relationship is clear.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant chart vocabulary, including “recorded,” “declined,” “increased” and “accounted for,” and you attempt to describe proportions and comparisons. However, spelling errors are frequent enough to distract, including “illutrate,” “thended,” “proortion” and “sleeing.” Several word choices or collocations are also inaccurate: “highest percentaged” and “in second level” do not express the intended meaning naturally, while “time spent on day” is unclear. Aim for accurate, conventional Task 1 phrasing such as “accounted for,” “the largest proportion,” and “the second-highest figure.” Proofreading spelling and choosing familiar collocations accurately would make your meaning easier to follow.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including comparisons with “while” and clauses beginning with “which.” The main trends can generally be understood, but grammatical control is uneven. For example, “the time spent on day by workers tend to accounted for” combines an incorrect verb form with an unclear subject, and “people who tended to spend time relaxing more at home were accounted for 13%” uses an unsuitable passive construction. There are also problems with sentence boundaries and punctuation, such as the comma after “illustrate” and inconsistent spacing around commas and percentages. Build reliable sentences with a clear subject and verb—for example, “Working accounted for 33% in 1958 and 42% in 2008”—before adding subordinate clauses.

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

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