Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Recent IELTS Exams (Canada & India) · 2026-08-28

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 compare the proportion of time spent by working adults on different daily activities in 1958 and 2008.

Overall, working accounted for the largest share of time in both years, whereas going out with friends/family experienced the most significant drop. Additionally, a new category, playing sports, emerged by 2008.

In 1958, working and sleeping dominated the daily schedule at 33% and 32%, respectively. Going out with friends or family made up nearly a fifth of the day (19%), while relaxing at home (8%) and travelling to work (2%) accounted for the remaining time.

however By 2008, the time dedicated to working grew to 42%, while sleeping decreased to 25%. Travelling to work rose to 7%, and relaxing at home increased to 13%. Conversely, social outings dropped sharply to 6%. Finally, playing sports was introduced as a new activity in 2008, taking up 7% of the day .

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

You have successfully identified the main features of the data and provided a clear overview. The comparison between 1958 and 2008 is well-structured, and you have accurately highlighted the significant trends, such as the increase in working hours and the decline in social outings. The inclusion of the new category in 2008 is also noted correctly. To reach a higher band, ensure that you consistently provide data for all categories mentioned; for instance, you could have explicitly contrasted the 'relaxing at home' figures more directly to strengthen the analytical aspect of your report. Overall, the response covers all requirements of the prompt effectively.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The response is logically organized, with a clear introduction, overview, and body paragraphs that group information by year. The use of cohesive devices such as 'Overall', 'whereas', 'Additionally', and 'Conversely' helps the reader follow the progression of ideas. However, there is a minor punctuation error at the start of the final paragraph ('however By 2008'), which slightly disrupts the flow. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the years, and the information within each paragraph is well-sequenced. Improving the precision of your transition markers will help ensure the flow remains seamless throughout the entire piece.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

You demonstrate a good range of vocabulary appropriate for a data description task, using terms like 'proportion', 'accounted for', 'dominated', and 'significant drop'. The language is generally precise and natural. There are no significant spelling errors, and the vocabulary choice is sufficient to convey the information clearly. To move into the higher bands, you could incorporate more sophisticated collocations or varied synonyms for 'increased' and 'decreased' to avoid repetition, although your current range is already quite functional and accurate for this task.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

The response features a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, which are generally accurate. You have used comparative structures effectively, such as 'working accounted for the largest share' and 'time dedicated to working grew to 42%'. While the grammar is mostly error-free, the capitalization error at the start of the final paragraph ('however By 2008') is a minor slip. The majority of your sentences are clear and grammatically sound. To achieve a higher score, try to incorporate a wider variety of complex grammatical structures, such as passive voice or subordinate clauses, to demonstrate greater control.

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

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