Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Recent IELTS Exams (Canada & India) · 2026-08-13

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 6.5)

The two pie charts illustrate the proportion of working adults spent their time on various activities in a particular country in two years (1958 and 2008).

Overall, in both year working and sleeping accounted for over half of all activities, while the least was travelling to work. There was substantial decrease for going out with family and friends over the period, whereas relaxing at home nearly doubled. There was only a very minimal increase of playing sports.

In 1958, working totaled 33% in 1958 and by 2008,it has increased by about 9%. Likewise, relaxing at home went up by 5% from 8% in 1958 to 13% in 2008. In contrast, the sleeping dropped significantly from 32% in 1958 to 25% in 2008. Similiarly, going out with friends and family declined significantly from 19% in 1958 to 6% in 2008.

Playing sports, on the other hand, experienced neligible increased from 6% in 1958 to 7% in 2008.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response covers all key features of the charts, including the main trends and specific data points. You successfully identified the most significant changes, such as the increase in working hours and the decline in socialising. However, the overview is slightly underdeveloped; while you mention the main trends, it could be more cohesive by grouping the categories more effectively. The data reporting is generally accurate, though there is a minor error in the calculation of the increase in working hours (33% to 42% is a 9 percentage point increase, but your phrasing 'it has increased by about 9%' is acceptable). To reach a higher band, ensure your overview highlights the most striking differences between the two years more clearly.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organised into clear paragraphs, with an introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs. You use some cohesive devices such as 'Likewise', 'In contrast', and 'Similarly' to link ideas. However, the flow between sentences is occasionally mechanical. For example, the transition between the overview and the body paragraphs could be smoother. Additionally, some referencing is slightly repetitive. Improving the variety of linking phrases and ensuring that each paragraph has a clear thematic focus would enhance the overall coherence of your writing.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'proportion', 'substantial', and 'negligible'. However, there are some spelling errors, such as 'neligible' instead of 'negligible' and 'Similiarly' instead of 'Similarly'. Furthermore, the word choice is sometimes slightly imprecise, such as 'the least was travelling to work' (it would be better to say 'the least time was spent on...'). To improve, focus on using more precise collocations and ensure you proofread for minor spelling slips, which currently limit your score in this criterion.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, which is appropriate for this task. There are some grammatical errors, such as 'the proportion of working adults spent their time' (should be 'spent their time' or 'the proportion of time spent by working adults') and 'in both year' (should be 'years'). Additionally, there are tense inconsistencies, such as 'it has increased' when referring to a past period (1958-2008). While these errors do not impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and consistent tense usage will help improve your accuracy.

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

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