Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Recent IELTS Exams (Canada & India) · 2026-10-08

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 compares the activities that had been done in 1958 and 2008 by the adults.

In 1958, the working activity represented the largest proportion while travelling represented the lowest share. Both the working and travelling had 52% of the total. While sleeping at home covered 32% of the area. Meanwhile, hangout with the friends made up 19% of the share.

On the other hand, activities had been changed in 2008, and include the addition of sports which covered 7% of the total. The working activities increased from 33% to 42% and a rapid increased also observed in travelling from 2% to 7%. A decline shown in hanging out with the friends and its proportion is 19% to 6%. Another larger proportion observed in the relaxing activitiy and the value is 13% that is increased from 8%.

Looking into the details, the largest and the smallest proportion in 1958 are 33% and 2% respectively. In 2008, the largest and the smallest are 42% and 6% respectively. The sports and travelling shared the same proportion and are 12% of total.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

You identify several relevant changes, including the rise in working time from 33% to 42%, the fall in socialising from 19% to 6%, and the addition of sport in 2008. However, important inaccuracies and omissions substantially limit the report. You say working and travelling both accounted for 52% in 1958, although the chart gives 33% and 2%; the intended comparison is therefore unclear. You also describe sleeping as “sleeping at home” and give no 2008 sleeping figure, while the final claim that sport and travel together made up 12% is incorrect: each was 7%, or 14% combined. Include a clear overview of the main shifts and report the figures accurately.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a basic paragraph structure: it introduces the charts, discusses 1958, moves to 2008, and ends with a comparison of extremes. Phrases such as “On the other hand” and “Looking into the details” signal these stages. However, progression is not consistently clear: the final paragraph repeats largest and smallest values already mentioned, and the opening paragraph’s claim that working and travelling both had 52% makes the comparison difficult to follow. Some linking is mechanical, and “Meanwhile” does not clearly show the relationship between the figures that follow. Organise the report around an overview and the main comparisons, and use references and connectors that make each relationship explicit.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant chart vocabulary, including “represented,” “proportion,” “decline,” and “increased,” so the reader can recognise the intended comparisons. However, the range is limited and several choices are inaccurate or awkward, such as “working activity,” “hangout with the friends,” and “larger proportion observed.” “Sleeping at home” also changes the chart’s category, which is simply sleeping. There are spelling and word-form slips, including “activitiy” and “increased” where a noun form is needed. Use precise activity labels and standard reporting collocations, such as “accounted for,” “rose to,” and “fell to,” rather than repeating general terms like “share” and “proportion.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt a mixture of simple statements and longer comparisons, for example, “The working activities increased from 33% to 42%,” and the basic meaning is often recoverable. However, control is uneven, particularly in longer or passive constructions. “A rapid increased also observed” lacks a correctly formed noun and a finite verb, while “A decline shown” is missing an auxiliary. The opening sentence uses the awkward passive “had been done,” and “the largest and the smallest are 42% and 6%” leaves the comparison structure incomplete. Practise forming complete clauses with accurate tense and auxiliaries, and use parallel structures when comparing the two years. These corrections would make the report easier to read.

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

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