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 TWO PIE CHARTS ILLUSTRATE BELOW HOW WORKING YOUNG AGE PEOPLE IN A SPECIFIC COUNTRY SPENT THEIR LEISURE IN 1958 AND 2008. OVERALL, ONLY 33% SPENT THEIR TIME IN WORKING IN 1958 CHART AND 42% IN 2008 CHART. WHILE THERE WAS A HUGE DIFFERENCE IN GOING OUT WITH FAMILY OR FRIENDS.

IN THE BEGINNING, IN 1958 RELAXING AT HOME PERCENTAGE IS 8% AND IN 2008 IT RISED TO 13%. FURTHERMORE, SLEEPING CRITERIA IS CHANGED 32% OF WORKING ADULTS SPENT THEIR DAY IN 1958 AND HAD A HUGE FALL IN 2008 TO 25%. ADDITIONALLY, TRAVELLING TO WORK CLIMBED FROM 2% TO 7% IN 2008. FURTHER, 19% OF PEOPLE SPENT THEIR TIME GOING OUT WITH FRIENDS OR FAMILY IN 1958 AND IT CHANGED TO ONLY 6% IN 2008. THERE WAS LITTLE CHANGE IN SPENT TIME IN PLAYING SPORTS. MOREOVER, 33% WORKING TIME INCREASED TO 42% IN 2008. THESE ACTIVITIES HAD MANY CHANGES AFTER 50 YEARS.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You report several accurate figures, including working rising from 33% to 42%, sleeping falling from 32% to 25%, and travel increasing from 2% to 7%. However, the overview is incomplete: it highlights the change in work and going out but does not clearly summarise the main pattern across the charts. The opening also misidentifies the group as “young age people” and says the charts show leisure, although they cover the whole day for working adults. The statement that sports showed “little change” is unsupported: sports appears only in 2008, at 7%. To strengthen the response, give a concise overview of the largest increases and decreases, and describe sports as a new category rather than a comparison.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a basic sequence: an introduction and overview are followed by details about the activities. This gives the reader some organisation, and the figures are generally presented in a sensible order. However, progression is weakened by repeated, mechanical linkers such as “Furthermore,” “Additionally,” “Further,” and “Moreover.” The overview also repeats the working figures later, while the final sentence, “These activities had many changes,” adds little. Grouping the increases together and the decreases together would make comparisons easier to follow. Use fewer, more purposeful transitions and make each paragraph perform a distinct role: introduce and summarise the charts, then compare the key details.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant chart vocabulary such as “percentage,” “increased,” “fall,” and “climbed,” and readers can usually understand the activities being compared. However, the range is limited and several choices are inaccurate or unnatural, which makes the report less precise. “Spent their leisure” misrepresents the charts, which show the full day, and “sleeping criteria” is not an appropriate way to refer to an activity. “Huge difference” is vague, while “it changed to only 6%” could be expressed more precisely as a decrease. Aim for accurate reporting language and avoid repeating general terms such as “changed.” For example, use “proportion,” “accounted for,” and “declined” where they fit the data.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response attempts some longer sentence forms, including comparisons with “while” and “from … to …,” but control is inconsistent. Errors in verb forms and sentence construction occur in phrases such as “it rised to 13%,” “percentage is 8%,” and “sleeping criteria is changed.” The opening sentence also has an awkward structure, and the final sentence lacks a clear, specific grammatical subject. These problems sometimes make the intended comparison harder to process. Practise forming accurate past-tense reporting sentences, for example, “The proportion relaxing at home rose from 8% to 13%.” Vary simple and compound structures, but prioritise complete clauses and consistent past-tense forms.

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

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