Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Recent IELTS Exams (Canada & India) · 2026-11-03

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 chart illustrates the data of working individuals spending their time in 1958 and 2008 in a specific country. In both years they spent most of their times working,ax contributing to 33% in 1958 and 42% in 2008. Besides working, they spent most of their time in sleeping and making it the 2nd highest proportion of the chart. They tend to relax less in 1958 but more in 2008 by making it 13%.The travelled only 2% to work in 1958 while 7% in 2008. The ratio of their travelling to work was increased upto 5%. The individuals went out with family and friends upto 19% in 1958 while the percentage went down to 6% in 2008. The ratio of playing sports of working adults remained unchanged in years 1958 and 2008. In both pie charts the ratio of these individuals working remained at the highest percentage while playing remained at the lowest.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify several important comparisons, including the rise in working time from 33% to 42%, the fall in going out from 19% to 6%, and the increase in commuting from 2% to 7%. However, the overview is incomplete and partly inaccurate: sleeping is not given a figure, and it is not the second-highest category in 1958, when going out accounts for 19%. The statement that sports remained unchanged is also unsupported: sports appears only in the 2008 chart, at 7%, and is absent from the 1958 data. The claim that working was highest in both years is correct, but saying playing was lowest in both is not. Select the main trends accurately and include the key figures for sleeping and sports.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response follows a broadly understandable order, moving from work to other activities, and uses basic links such as “Besides” and “while” to compare years. However, it is presented as one continuous paragraph, with no clear separation between an overview and supporting details. The progression is also weakened by abrupt or repetitive statements, such as “The ratio of their travelling to work was increased upto 5%” immediately after the commuting figures. Some references are unclear: “these individuals” and “playing” require the reader to infer what is meant. Organise the response into a brief introduction, a clear overview, and detail paragraphs, and use comparisons to connect related changes rather than listing them one by one.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant vocabulary for describing charts, including “percentage,” “proportion,” “relax,” and “went out,” so the main subject is generally clear. However, the range is limited and several choices are unnatural or imprecise. “The data of working individuals spending their time” is an awkward way to introduce the charts, while “the ratio” is repeatedly used where “percentage” or “share” is intended. “Making it the 2nd highest proportion” is also unclear, and “upto” is not appropriate in these comparisons. Aim for accurate chart language and avoid repeating the same general terms. More precise expressions such as “accounted for,” “rose,” and “fell” would help describe the figures clearly and concisely.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response communicates its general meaning, but sentence structures are mostly simple, and attempts to combine ideas are often faulty. For example, “Besides working, they spent most of their time in sleeping and making it the 2nd highest proportion” has an unclear grammatical connection between the activities and the ranking. The opening sentence also contains a punctuation and typing problem in “working,ax contributing,” and “The ratio of their travelling to work was increased” uses an incorrect passive construction. There are further issues with articles, plurals, and sentence boundaries, as in “most of their times.” Practise building accurate comparison sentences with clear subjects and verbs, and proofread punctuation and agreement so errors do not interrupt the reader.

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

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