Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Recent IELTS Exams (Canada & India) · 2026-09-01
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 the percentage of the expenditure by adults on playing sports, working, relaxing at home, sleeping, travelling to work and going out with friends/family during 1958 and 2008.
Overall, the expenditure of adults on working was in the high proportion as compared with others .
In 1958, their was the high spending on working by adults which is shown in 33%, but it tends to increase in 2008 to 42%. Future, looking towards travelling to work the expenditure was at the proportion of 2 and slightly rose to 7. Nextly, in 1958 the expenses of sleeping was in the percentage of 32 as it went down to 25 in the 2008. The proportion of expendings on going out with friends/family during 1958 and 2008 was 19 and 6 respectively. The other category of spending money was playing sports as their was no change in their proportion. Lastly, the spendings on relaxing at home was 8% in 1958 and 13% in 2008
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The response covers the main features of the charts, but there is a significant misunderstanding of the data. You consistently refer to the percentages as 'expenditure' or 'spending money,' whereas the prompt clearly states the charts show how time is spent. This misinterpretation of the data labels affects the accuracy of your reporting. While you have selected key features such as the increase in working hours and the decrease in sleeping time, the persistent use of incorrect terminology prevents a higher score. To improve, ensure you carefully read the labels on the axes and the title of the charts before beginning your analysis.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organized into an introduction, an overview, and body paragraphs, which provides a basic structure. However, the use of cohesive devices is often mechanical or inaccurate. Phrases like 'Future, looking towards' and 'Nextly' are unnatural and do not effectively link ideas. The progression of information is somewhat disjointed, as the transition between the different categories of time usage feels like a list rather than a cohesive summary. Improving the variety and accuracy of linking words and ensuring that each paragraph has a clear focus would significantly enhance the flow of your writing.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary is limited and repetitive, with the word 'expenditure' or 'spending' used incorrectly throughout the text to describe time. You also use 'proportion' repeatedly, which limits the range of your expression. There are some inaccuracies in word choice, such as 'the expenses of sleeping,' which is not appropriate in this context. To reach a higher band, you should focus on using a wider range of vocabulary related to time, such as 'allocated to,' 'devoted to,' or 'spent on,' and ensure that your word choices are contextually accurate for the data being presented.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
There are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. For example, 'their was the high spending' should be 'there was a high proportion of time spent,' and 'the expenses of sleeping was' contains both a word choice error and a subject-verb agreement error. You rely mostly on simple sentence structures, and attempts at more complex sentences often result in errors, such as 'which is shown in 33%.' To improve, focus on basic subject-verb agreement and the correct use of articles. Practicing the construction of complex sentences using relative clauses or subordinating conjunctions will also help you demonstrate a wider grammatical range.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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