Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Recent IELTS Exams (Canada & India) · 2026-10-24

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 illustrates how working adults in a particular country spent their time in the years 1958 and 2008 respectively.

Overall, people spent significant time working in both years.while more than half of the time has been spent on working and sleeping the time spent on other activities is less comparatively.

While the time spent on working has resurged from 33% to 42% the sleeping time has receeded from 32% to 25% in the years 1958 and 2008 respectively.There is a huge decrease in the family time it has fallen drastically from 19% in 1958 to only 6% in 2008. It's stand in the 3rd position in the year1958 was replaced by relaxing at home in 2008.There is also a significant increase in the time spent of travelling from 2% to 7% between the years 1958 to 2008

The time spent on activities such as working,relaxing at home,travelling to work increased the time spent on the other activities is decreased from 1958 to 2008.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the main changes and support them with accurate figures: working rises from 33% to 42%, sleeping falls from 32% to 25%, and time with friends or family drops from 19% to 6%. The overview also recognises that work takes a substantial share in both years. However, the overview is unclear when it says “more than half of the time has been spent on working and sleeping”; it does not clearly explain the overall shift, and the 2008 addition of playing sports is omitted. The final claim that time on “the other activities is decreased” is inaccurate, since relaxing at home and travelling both increase. Develop the overview and cover this contrasting pattern more precisely.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, an overview and paragraphs describing changes. Comparisons such as “from 33% to 42%” help connect the two years. However, progression is weakened by placing several separate comparisons in one long paragraph, followed by a final sentence that repeats the increase/decrease summary without adding a clear point. Some links are awkward or unclear, particularly “It's stand in the 3rd position… was replaced,” and the transition into the final sentence does not clarify which activities decreased. Use clearer topic grouping—for example, increases together and decreases together—and make each reference explicit to improve the flow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant vocabulary for describing charts, including “significant time,” “decrease,” “fallen drastically,” and “increase,” and the reader can generally understand the comparisons. However, several choices are inaccurate or unnatural: “resurged” does not mean simply increased, “receded” is an awkward choice for a percentage, and “family time” is less precise than the chart category “going out with friends/family.” There are also noticeable spelling and word-form errors, including “receeded” and “It's stand.” Aim for accurate, natural chart language and consistent labels rather than using stronger-sounding words that do not fit the data.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt a mix of simple and more complex structures, including comparisons with “while” and clauses describing changes over time. Some sentences communicate the figures clearly, such as the comparison of sleeping time from 32% to 25%. However, errors in agreement, sentence boundaries and punctuation recur: “The pie charts illustrates” should use a plural verb, and “in both years.while” needs a space and a properly joined sentence. The construction “It's stand in the 3rd position… was replaced” is also grammatically unclear, while the final sentence lacks a clear parallel structure. Check subject–verb agreement and divide long comparisons into complete, well-punctuated sentences.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.