Band 8.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 8.0 · Recent IELTS Exams (Canada & India) · 2026-07-31

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 8.0)

The pie charts compare how working adults in a particular country spent their day in 1958 and 2008.

Overall, working became the biggest activity in 2008, while the percentage of time spent sleeping and going out with friends or family decreased. On the other hand, people spent more time relaxing at home and travelling to work than before.

In 1958, adults spent 33% of their day working, and this figure increased to 42% in 2008. Sleeping was the second largest activity, but it fell from 32% to 25%. The time spent relaxing at home also increased, from 8% in 1958 to 13% in 2008.

In addition, travelling to work rose significantly from 2% to 7%, which shows that people needed to spend more time commuting. However, the percentage of people going out with friends and family dropped sharply from 19% to 6%. Finally, playing sports accounted for 6% in 1958 and 7% in 2008, so it only changed a little. Overall, people lifestyle become more busy because they spent more time working and less time on social activities.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 8.0

You have successfully identified the main features of the data and provided a clear overview. The comparison between 1958 and 2008 is well-supported by specific data points, such as the increase in working hours from 33% to 42% and the decrease in social time. You have covered all parts of the task effectively. To reach a higher band, ensure that your overview highlights the most significant trends more explicitly. For instance, you could group the activities that increased versus those that decreased more clearly in the introduction to provide a stronger analytical framework for the reader.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 8.5

The response is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a concluding summary. You use cohesive devices such as 'Overall', 'On the other hand', 'In addition', and 'However' to guide the reader through the information. The progression of ideas is smooth and easy to follow. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the overview from the detailed data analysis. To improve further, try to vary your cohesive devices slightly more to avoid repetitive structures, though your current usage is already quite effective for this task type.

Lexical Resource — Band 7.5

You demonstrate a sufficient range of vocabulary to convey the information clearly. Phrases like 'rose significantly', 'dropped sharply', and 'accounted for' are used accurately in the context of describing trends. There is an attempt to use less common vocabulary, such as 'commuting'. However, there are minor issues with word choice and collocation, such as 'people lifestyle become more busy', which should be 'people's lifestyles became busier'. Improving your control over these small grammatical-lexical links will help you reach a higher band.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 7.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, which is appropriate for this task. Most of your sentences are error-free, and your meaning is always clear. There are a few minor grammatical slips, such as 'people lifestyle become more busy' (should be 'people's lifestyles became busier') and 'travelling to work rose significantly' (while clear, 'time spent travelling' would be more precise). These errors are infrequent and do not impede communication. To improve, focus on ensuring subject-verb agreement and consistent tense usage when describing historical data.

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