Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Recent IELTS Exams (Canada & India) · 2026-10-22

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 pie chart illustrates the working of adults in a particular country spent their time between 1958 and 2008.

Overview:Overall working became popular over the period, rising from 33% to 42%. In contrast the proportion of going out with family and declined. Sleeping fluctuated slightly while the proportion of travelling to work showed only a slight change.

According to the chart, working showed a remarkable change from 33% to 42%. While,the percenatge of students going out with family declined from 19% to 6%. In contrast, the percenatge of sleeping also declined from 32% to 25% and the proportion of travelling to work also had a fluctuation from 2% to 7%.

In conclusion, the percenatge of working has rised and the proportion of travelling to work also improved. Then the proportion of sleeping and going out with family had a little fall.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify several key changes accurately: working rises from 33% to 42%, while sleeping falls from 32% to 25% and going out with friends or family drops from 19% to 6%. However, the overview is incomplete and includes an inaccurate description: sleeping did not “fluctuate”; it declined, and travelling to work rose notably from 2% to 7%, rather than changing only slightly. The 2008 sports figure (7%) is omitted, and the response gives little comparison beyond listing changes. The conclusion repeats earlier points instead of adding a useful summary. At 134 words, the response is 16 words below the minimum; the eight words copied from the prompt are not counted. Include the missing category and develop the main comparisons.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure, with an opening, an overview, a detail paragraph and a conclusion, and the reader can generally follow the figures. However, progression is limited because the conclusion repeats the same trends rather than synthesising them, while the detail paragraph largely lists changes one by one. Some linking is mechanical or awkward: “In contrast” is used for sleeping and travelling even though these are not clear contrasts, and “While,the” has faulty punctuation. The overview also runs directly into its label (“Overview:Overall”), which weakens presentation. Grouping increases together and decreases together, then using clear references to the two years, would make the organisation more coherent and the comparisons easier to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use relevant task vocabulary such as “proportion,” “declined,” and “rising,” and the main trends are usually understandable. However, the range is limited and several expressions are imprecise or repetitive. “Working became popular” does not accurately describe a share of time, while “had a fluctuation” is unsuitable for a straightforward increase from 2% to 7%. “Improved” also suggests a positive judgement rather than a neutral change. There are noticeable spelling errors, including “percenatge” and “rised,” and “students” is an inaccurate label for the adults shown. Use precise, neutral terms for proportions and changes, and check spelling and collocations before submitting.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response communicates its main points through mostly simple sentence patterns, with some attempts to combine ideas using “while” and “in contrast.” These attempts are not always controlled: “While,the percenatge…” has incorrect punctuation and an incomplete-feeling construction, and “the proportion of going out with family and declined” contains a faulty sentence structure. The final sentence, “the proportion of sleeping and going out with family had a little fall,” also has an unclear grammatical relationship between the two activities. Verb forms are inconsistent in “has rised,” and the opening sentence is awkwardly constructed. Practise accurate comparative clauses and past-tense reporting, and use a wider range of sentence structures while checking each sentence for completeness.

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

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