Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Recent IELTS Exams (Canada & India) · 2026-09-24
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 given charts illustrate the percentages of the day spent by adult workforce on various activities by the source from 1958 and 2008. Overall, the charts outline five categories. It is evident that working contributes the large proportion of the chart and it accounts 33% and42% in 1958 and 2008 respectively.
According to the first chart, adult workforce has spent a considerable amount of time for sleeping. it accounts 32%. they have spent an insufficient proportion of time for travelling to work. They have allocated approximately 19% for going out with family and friends and they did not spend considerable amount of time for relaxing at home and it accounts 8%.
According to the second chart, after 50 years they have allocated considerable amount of time for travelling to work and relaxing at home compared with 1958 as 7% and 13% respectively. Nevertheless, sleeping, going out with friends and family have declined 25% and 6% respectively. Especially, allocating time for playing sports has not changed over the time period.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5
The student attempts to address the task by comparing the two pie charts showing the time spent by working adults in 1958 and 2008. While the main features are touched upon—such as working hours increasing from 33% to 42%—the response lacks a fully developed overview and fails to make all relevant comparisons systematically. For instance, the student states that playing sports 'has not changed over the time period', which is inaccurate since sports did not appear in the 1958 chart at all (registering 7% in 2008). Furthermore, some data points are misreported or glossed over without clear synthesis. However, the candidate does present a relevant description of the main categories, satisfying the basic requirements of Task Achievement at a band 5.5 to 6.0 level.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0
The response is organised into multiple paragraphs, attempting to separate the introduction, the first chart, and the second chart. However, the logical progression is hindered by repetitive phrasing and poor transitional links, such as beginning consecutive sentences with 'According to the first chart' and 'According to the second chart'. Paragraphing is basic and mechanical. Cohesive devices are used awkwardly or inaccurately in places, and referencing is occasionally unclear, such as the ambiguous use of pronouns ('they') when referring to the workforce. Overall arrangement is coherent enough to follow, but cohesion is faulty and mechanical throughout, placing it firmly in the band 5.0 range.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.0
The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, attempting some less common lexical items such as 'considerable amount', 'insufficient proportion', and 'workforce'. However, there are notable limitations and word-choice errors, such as 'accounts 33%' (missing 'for'), 'spent of time', and the inaccurate claim about sports 'not changed' when it was newly introduced in 2008. Collocations are occasionally unnatural, and spelling/word-formation slips occur. The lexical range is minimally adequate to convey the basic message, but frequent inaccuracies in word choice and preposition usage restrict the score to a band 5.0.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but control is inconsistent. There are frequent grammatical errors, such as missing prepositions ('accounts 33% and42%', 'spent considerable amount'), capitalization and punctuation errors (e.g., lowercase 'it' after a full stop), and tense confusion ('has spent' mixed with past simple 'did not spend'). While some sentences are clear, errors in grammar and punctuation frequently recur and occasionally cause slight difficulty for the reader. The structural range remains limited, supporting a band 5.0 evaluation.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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