Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Recent IELTS Exams (Canada & India) · 2026-08-26
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 that working adults in a particular country spent their time between 1958 and 2008.
Overall, it is clear that working accounted for the highest proportion in activities while traveling to work accounted had the lowest proportion in activities. In addition, there was a significant difference between the most and least popular day spent.
At the first chart, that working stood at 33 percent of activities in 1958. It was followed by sleeping with 32 percent of activities which was slightly lower than
working. Similarly, going out with friends and family had 19 percent of activities while relaxing at home had
8 percent of activities and traveling to work had only 2 percent of activities which was slightly higher than traveling to work.
In the second chart, that working accounted for 42 percent, while represented sleeping 25 percent. In comparison relaxing at home had 13 percent which was higher than with sleeping and relaxing at home.
Overall, working was the most popular activities while traveling was most common activities.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The response addresses the task by summarizing the two pie charts, but it fails to provide a clear overview or effectively highlight the main trends. While the student identifies some data points, the analysis is often inaccurate or confusing. For example, the statement 'traveling to work had only 2 percent... which was slightly higher than traveling to work' is logically flawed and repetitive. Furthermore, the summary lacks a meaningful comparison between the two years, which is a core requirement of the task. The conclusion is also contradictory, stating that 'traveling was most common activities,' which contradicts the data provided in the charts. More focus on identifying significant changes over the 50-year period is needed.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0
The essay is organized into paragraphs, but the logical progression is weak. The use of cohesive devices is often mechanical or misused, such as 'At the first chart' instead of 'In the first chart'. Referencing is frequently unclear, making it difficult for the reader to follow the comparison between the two time periods. The transition between the description of 1958 and 2008 is abrupt, and the final summary paragraph is confusing, as it repeats information already mentioned and draws an incorrect conclusion. Better use of linking words like 'whereas,' 'in contrast,' or 'subsequently' would improve the flow.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary is limited and repetitive, relying heavily on basic phrasing such as 'accounted for' and 'had'. There are several instances of awkward word choice and collocation errors, such as 'most popular day spent' and 'represented sleeping 25 percent'. The student struggles to use precise terminology to describe data, leading to confusion. To reach a higher band, the student should incorporate a wider range of vocabulary related to trends and proportions, such as 'constituted,' 'comprised,' 'a significant increase,' or 'a marginal decline,' and ensure these are used in the correct grammatical context.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The response contains frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede meaning. There are issues with sentence structure, such as 'the pie chart illustrates that working adults... spent their time between 1958 and 2008' (missing 'how'). The use of prepositions and articles is inconsistent, and there are errors in subject-verb agreement and word order, such as 'while represented sleeping 25 percent'. While the student attempts some complex structures, they are often faulty. The writing lacks the variety and accuracy required for higher bands, as the errors are frequent and sometimes make the intended meaning unclear.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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