Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Recent IELTS Exams (Canada & India) · 2026-08-20

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 6.0)

The pie graphs illustrate the percentage of time spent on various activities by working adults in 1958 and 2008. Overall, while adult devoted the largest percentage of their daily time to working and sleeping in 1958, the time spent on working increased substantially in 2008 to become the highest activity overall.

Working adults spent the highest proportion of their daily time on working and sleeping, at 33% and 32% respectively in 1958. this was followed by going out with friends or family, which mad up half of the proportion spent allocated to sleeping, at 19%. However, time spent on relaxing at home and commuting to work together constituted a tenth of the total, at 8% and 2% respectively.

In 2008, time used for working increased compared to 1958 to 42%, which representing the highest category in that year. While the time spent on sleeping decreased to a quarter (25%), this category still ranked second. Relaxing time at home rose to 13% , while time spent on travelling to work and playing sports made up 7% each. Finally, the time spent on going out with friends and family represented the lowest proportion at only 6%.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response effectively addresses the prompt by identifying the main features and comparing the two years. You successfully highlighted the shift in working hours and the decrease in sleeping time. The overview is clear and provides a good summary of the trends. However, there is a minor inaccuracy in the second paragraph: you stated that going out with friends/family made up 'half of the proportion allocated to sleeping' (19% vs 32%), which is mathematically incorrect. Additionally, ensure that all data points are accurately transcribed to avoid confusion. Overall, the response covers all parts of the task well.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a concluding summary of the 2008 data. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the two time periods. Cohesive devices such as 'Overall', 'while', 'however', and 'finally' are used to guide the reader through the information. The progression of ideas is logical, although the transition between the description of 1958 and 2008 could be slightly smoother. Referencing is generally clear, though some minor mechanical errors in sentence structure slightly affect the flow.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate a sufficient range of vocabulary to convey the information clearly. Phrases like 'highest proportion', 'constituted a tenth', and 'represented the lowest proportion' are appropriate for a report. There are some minor word choice issues, such as 'mad up' (likely a typo for 'made up') and 'time used for working' (which could be more naturally phrased as 'time spent working'). While you use some less common items, the vocabulary is generally functional rather than sophisticated. Expanding your range of synonyms for 'increase' and 'decrease' would help elevate your score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical slips, such as 'adult devoted' (should be 'adults devoted'), 'this was followed' (capitalization error), and 'which representing' (should be 'which represented'). While these errors are noticeable, they do not impede communication. To reach a higher band, focus on ensuring subject-verb agreement and correct verb forms in relative clauses. The majority of your sentences are clear, but more consistent control over complex structures is needed to move into the 7.0+ range.

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

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