Band 4.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.0 · Recent IELTS Exams (Canada & India) · 2026-09-19

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 4.0)

Pie Charts map the distribution of the adult time. Every age group has its own pattern and similarly adults have. The pie chart clearly shows a comparison between 1958 and 2008 routines and patterns. There are some major affected portions that are more likely changed over time. Discussing a few major features

1: Working: Evolving technology requires more time to understand systems, technology generates ease but needs more focus and time.

2: Time with family & friends: Adults are now developing a habit of introversion, like to spend their time alone and this affects this time and is continuously increasing.

3: Sleeping: Extended working hours require more time and in a 24 hour cycle adults sacrifice sleep to achieve their target goals

4: Relaxing at home: Becoming introverted and lacking social skills force adults to stay at home.

Some other features are also affected like travelling to work which is the result of having larger cities with passage of time and having industries outside the cities which require extra time for travel, other affected areas can also vary by person to person.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 3.0

The response fails to meet the core requirements of an Academic Task 1 report. Instead of presenting an objective summary of the data, the student provides a speculative and subjective commentary on why the statistics changed (e.g., 'Evolving technology requires more time to understand systems', 'Adults are now developing a habit of introversion'). Furthermore, the actual data points from the charts are largely omitted or misreported, such as claiming that time spent with family and friends is 'continuously increasing' when the data shows a drop from 19% to 6%. No clear overview is provided, and the formatting resembles bullet points rather than a cohesive report. This approach demonstrates a misunderstanding of Task 1 conventions.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 4.0

The organization of the text is severely compromised by the non-standard formatting, including a numbered list and conversational fragments like 'Discussing a few major features'. There is no logical paragraph structure suited for an IELTS report. While some individual points are listed, there is no overall progression or logical sequencing connecting the data points. Cohesive devices are virtually absent, and referencing is unclear. The essay structure does not follow an introduction, body, and overview format, which disrupts the flow and makes the text difficult to follow as a cohesive piece of academic writing.

Lexical Resource — Band 4.5

The vocabulary used is generally basic and repetitive, relying on terms like 'features', 'affected', 'time', and 'adults'. The student attempts some less common vocabulary items such as 'introversion' and 'introverted', but these are used incorrectly in the context of time spent relaxing at home or with family, demonstrating poor word choice and collocation. There are also issues with phrasing, such as 'major affected portions that are more likely changed over time'. While communication is not entirely blocked, the lexical range is severely limited for an academic task, and precision is lacking throughout.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 4.0

The text displays a very limited range of grammatical structures. Many sentences are simple or poorly formulated fragments, such as 'Discussing a few major features' and 'Some other features are also affected like travelling to work which is the result of having larger cities with passage of time'. There are frequent errors in punctuation, missing articles, and awkward phrasing that place a heavy burden on the reader. Complex structures are attempted but are generally faulty and lack control. Errors are frequent enough to impede clear communication in several places.

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

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