Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Recent IELTS Exams (Canada & India) · 2026-11-10

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 5.0)

The pie chart illustrates how working adults in a particular country spent their time in 1958 and 2008.

Overall, in 1958 33% of the day spent by working adults on various activities and the lowest amount of time they used by travelling to work.On the other hand, in 2008 Highest 42% of the day spent by working adults on various activities and the lowest 6% of the day spent by going out with friends/family adults on various activities.

In 1958, 33% of the day spent by working adults on various activities. 32% of the day spent by sleeping adults on various activities . Others time they used for going out with friends/family,Relaxing at home,travelling to work about 19%,8%,2% of the day spent by working adults on various activities.

In 2008, 42% of the day spent by working by working adults on various activities. 25% for sleeping. Others time used for relaxing at home,travelling to work,playing sports, going out with friends/family about 13%,7%,7%,6% of the day spent by working adults on various activities.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You report the figures for both years and include the main categories, so the reader can identify how the time-use pattern changed. However, the overview is not clearly expressed: saying that 33% and 42% of the day were spent on “various activities” does not identify the activity, which was working. The key overall shifts—working rising from 33% to 42%, sleeping falling from 32% to 25%, and socialising dropping sharply from 19% to 6%—are not brought together as trends. Your statement that the lowest figure in 2008 was 6% is accurate, but the 1958 minimum was 2% for commuting. A clearer overview and more selective comparison of the major changes would make the response more complete and developed.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and separate paragraphs for 1958 and 2008. The year-based grouping makes the figures relatively easy to locate, and “On the other hand” signals a contrast. However, progression is limited because the body paragraphs mostly list percentages rather than compare related categories across the two years. Repeated wording such as “of the day spent by working adults on various activities” makes the links mechanical, while commas and spacing are inconsistent in lists. For example, the 1958 figures are compressed into one sentence without clear separators. Grouping the largest categories together and using concise comparisons would create a more coherent flow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use relevant activity labels, including “sleeping,” “travelling to work,” and “going out with friends/family,” and the reader can generally understand which categories you mean. However, the vocabulary is limited and repetitive, especially the repeated phrase “spent by working adults on various activities,” which is vague when describing a specific category. Some expressions are not natural for reporting chart data, such as “the lowest amount of time they used by travelling to work” and “Others time they used.” Use precise reporting language and vary verbs for changes and proportions. For instance, describe adults as “spending” a share of their day on an activity, or say that a category “accounted for” a percentage. This would improve clarity and collocational control.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

The response relies mainly on short, simple statements, with little variety in sentence structure. Many sentences omit a finite verb or use an incomplete construction: “33% of the day spent by working adults” should be “33% of the day was spent working,” and “25% for sleeping” needs a complete clause. There are also errors in articles, word order, and agreement, as in “in 2008 Highest 42%” and “the lowest 6% of the day spent.” Punctuation is inconsistent, with missing spaces after full stops and commas. These recurring problems sometimes make the relationships between figures and activities unclear. Practise complete comparative sentences, such as “The proportion spent working rose from 33% to 42%.”

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

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