Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Recent IELTS Exams (Canada & India) · 2026-09-21
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 chart illustrates the time spent by working adults in a particular country in 1958 and 2008.
Overall, adults used to spent most of their time on working and sleeping during both years while only few number of adults used to travel to the work in 1958. However, in 2008, the proportion of adult spending their time on going out with friends or family was least. Adults used to spent their time on few other activities such as playing sports, relaxing at home.
Adults used to spent 33% of the day on working in 1958 which rised to 42% at the end of 2008. Same proportion of time was spent on sleeping in 1958 which declined in 2008 and covered one-fourth proportion of the day. Time spent by adults in playing sports was same in both years. In 1958, adults used to spent 20% of the day in going out with friends or family, meanwhile, it decreased to 6% in 2008. The proportion of time spent on travelling to work and relaxing at home had slightly increased 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 student attempts to cover all parts of the task by comparing data from 1958 and 2008 across various activities. However, there are notable inaccuracies in data reporting. For instance, the student states that 'Time spent by adults in playing sports was same in both years', whereas the chart shows playing sports at 0% in 1958 and 7% in 2008. Similarly, 'going out with friends or family' in 1958 was 19% (reported as 20%, which is acceptable due to approximation), but the text claims it was the 'least' in 2008 when it was actually 6%, and misinterprets other trends. The overview mentions general points but contains inaccuracies. Therefore, the response demonstrates limitations in fully and accurately reporting the main features.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response is arranged into logical paragraphs, beginning with an introduction, followed by an overview, and then supporting body details. Cohesive devices are used to link ideas, such as 'Overall', 'However', and 'meanwhile'. However, paragraphing and referencing are sometimes awkward, and the progression of ideas is occasionally hindered by inaccurate data interpretation. Pronoun referencing and referencing time periods ('during both years', 'at the end of 2008') lack precision. Overall, the essay maintains an understandable structure, justifying a Band 6.0 for cohesion and logical sequencing.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully using terms such as 'proportion', 'decline', and 'increase'. However, there is persistent misuse of tense and verb forms, notably 'used to spent' instead of 'used to spend' throughout the response. Other lexical choices lack precision or are slightly unnatural, such as 'one-fourth proportion of the day'. While the vocabulary is sufficient to communicate the general meaning, errors in word formation and collocation prevent the score from reaching a higher band.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing structures like relative clauses and introductory dependent clauses ('Overall, adults used to spent...'). However, grammatical accuracy is weak, particularly with verb tense consistency and form. The repeated error 'used to spent' (instead of 'used to spend') occurs multiple times. Other errors include 'rised' instead of 'rose', and 'adult spending' instead of 'adults spending'. These frequent non-systematic errors in basic and moderately complex structures cause some distraction for the reader, fitting the Band 5.0 profile.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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