Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Recent IELTS Exams (Canada & India) · 2026-11-02

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 both pie charts below illustrates, the propotion of working adults in a specific country, who spend their time in different type of activites over a time period between 1958 to 2008.

Overall, it can be seen that in both charts working and sleeping activity had a highest percentage of users while travelling to work had a lowest percentage.

To begin with, year 1958 working had 33 % which rose to 42 % in 2008 .Then secondly, Travelling to work also had high trend from 2% to 7% in 1958 to 2008. On other hand, Going out with friends or family had seen a major decline from 19% to 6 % over a period of time.

However, sleeping had 32% in 1958 which decreased to 25% in 2008 . Meanwhile, Relaxing at home also shown declined trend from 8 % to 13% . Whereas, In 1958 there was no percentage reported for playing sports activity however, In 2008 its about 7%. Just an estimation made on illustration it feels like both had almost same number of percentage.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify several important changes, including the rise in working time from 33% to 42%, the fall in socialising from 19% to 6%, and the decrease in sleeping from 32% to 25%. However, the overview is not fully accurate: working was the largest category in both years, but sleeping was not the highest in 2008, and travelling was not the lowest in 2008 because it equalled sports at 7%. There is also a key contradiction: relaxing at home rose from 8% to 13%, although you describe it as declining. The comment that both years had “almost same” percentages is unclear and unsupported. Select the main patterns accurately and give a concise, reliable overview before detailing figures.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, an overview and paragraphs describing changes. This helps the reader locate the main information. However, progression within the detail is uneven: “To begin with,” “Then secondly,” “On other hand,” and “However” create a mechanical sequence rather than clear grouping of related trends. The final sentences about sports and “both” having similar percentages are difficult to follow, partly because the comparison is not specified. Grouping increases together and decreases together, and using clear references such as “this figure” or naming the activity, would improve flow. Check that each linking phrase accurately signals the relationship between the ideas that follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant task vocabulary, including “rose,” “decline,” “percentage,” and “over a period of time,” so the reader can understand the general topic and several trends. However, the range is limited and some choices are inaccurate or unnatural, such as “highest percentage of users” for shares of time, “had high trend,” and “shown declined trend.” Repetition of “had” also makes the description less precise. Spelling errors such as “propotion” and “activites” are noticeable, while “Just an estimation made on illustration” is an unclear phrase. Use precise verbs for chart movement and accurate terms such as “proportion of the day” or “share of time,” and proofread spelling and collocations.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt a few complex forms, including “which rose to 42%” and “which decreased to 25%,” but many sentences contain errors in basic sentence construction and agreement. For example, “The both pie charts below illustrates” has incorrect article use and subject–verb agreement, while “working and sleeping activity had a highest percentage” has problems with number and article use. Several clauses are fragments or lack a clear grammatical subject, as in “To begin with, year 1958 working had 33%.” Punctuation and spacing around full stops are also inconsistent. Practise forming complete sentences with a clear subject and verb, and use past-tense reporting consistently; this will make your comparisons easier to understand.

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.