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 given both pie charts illustrate the proportion of the youngsters who spent their time on different types of activities in both years. (1958,2008)

Overall, it is evident that, the highest percentages of sleeping were recored in 1958, while the lowest numbers in going out with friends/family showed in 2008. In contrast, both playing sports and travelling to work experienced similiar percentage in 2008.

At the outset, In 1958, the working was the most common activities, accounted for 33%, however. it increased to 42% in 2008. Moreover, going out with friends/ family exprienced 19% of spending activities, which fall to only 6% respectively. 7% of the adult played sports in 2008 which was newly added.

Following this, sleeping activities experienced 32% of adults, who spent their time, which were gradually fell to 25% in 2008. In addition, relaxing at home exposed 8% of spending , that same figure rose to 13% in 2008.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify several important comparisons accurately: working rises from 33% to 42%, going out with friends or family falls from 19% to 6%, sleeping declines from 32% to 25%, and relaxing at home increases from 8% to 13%. The overview also highlights the high sleeping figure in 1958 and the low socialising figure in 2008. However, the opening incorrectly describes the people as “youngsters”; the charts concern working adults. The overview’s claim that sports and commuting had similar percentages in 2008 is accurate, but the response does not give the commuting figure of 7%, and the sports figure is only briefly mentioned. Develop the overview by summarising the main shifts more clearly and include the key 2008 comparison for both categories.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and two paragraphs reporting details. The figures are generally grouped in a sensible way, with work and socialising discussed together, followed by sleeping and relaxing. However, progression is sometimes weakened by awkward or mechanical linking, such as “At the outset” and “Following this,” which do not clearly signal the relationships between the data. Some references are also unclear: “which fall to only 6% respectively” does not use “respectively” appropriately, and “that same figure” could be stated more directly. Organise the details around clear comparisons between the two years, and use linking phrases only when they express a precise relationship.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant chart vocabulary, including “proportion,” “accounted for,” “increased,” and “fell,” and the reader can understand most of the comparisons. However, several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or unnatural, including “the working was the most common activities,” “experienced 19% of spending activities,” and “relaxing at home exposed 8%.” There are also spelling errors such as “recored,” “similiar,” and “exprienced,” which reduce precision. Aim for straightforward, accurate reporting language rather than forcing less natural expressions. For example, say that adults “spent 33% of their time working” and that the share “rose” or “declined.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt a mixture of simple statements and longer sentences, including comparisons between the two years, but control is uneven. Errors in sentence structure and verb forms appear in examples such as “which fall to only 6%” and “which were gradually fell to 25%”; these should use a consistent past-tense construction, such as “which fell to 6%” and “which declined to 25%.” Agreement and article use are also problematic in “the working was the most common activities,” while punctuation is awkward in “however. it increased.” These errors sometimes make relationships harder to follow, although the main figures remain understandable. Build accuracy by using clear subject–verb patterns and checking each sentence for tense, agreement, and punctuation.

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

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