Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Recent IELTS Exams (Canada & India) · 2026-09-12

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 pie charts illustrate the time spent by working adults in a particular country in 1958 and 2008.

Overall, adults spent the largest proportion of their time working in both years, whereas the least amount of time was spent travelling to work and going out with friends or family in 1958 and 2008, respectively.

In 1958, working adults devoted 33% of their total time to working, which was more than the time used for other activities. However, the proportion of time spent sleeping was 32%, slightly less than that spent working. For hanging out with friends/family, the percentage was 19%, while 8% of their total time was dedicated to relaxing at home. The proportion was the lowest, at 2%, for commuting to work.

In 2008, working accounted for the largest proportion of adults' time, at 42%, while they spent 25% of their total time sleeping. The proportion of time used for relaxing at home was 13%. An equal amount of adults' time was spent on travelling to work and playing sports, at 7% each, whereas the proportion of time used for going out with friends and family was 6%.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response effectively covers all parts of the task by summarising the main features of the two pie charts and making relevant comparisons. The overview clearly highlights that working was the largest time consumer in both years, while contrasting the extremes, such as commuting in 1958 and socialising in 2008. Specific data points, such as 33% for working in 1958 and 42% in 2008, are accurately cited and reported to support the comparisons. The ideas are well-selected and presented logically, satisfying the requirements for a Band 7 or higher, as all parts of the prompt are addressed with clear supporting details.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The report demonstrates clear logical organisation and progression throughout. Information is grouped sensibly, starting with an introductory sentence, followed by a succinct overview paragraph, and then detailed body paragraphs dedicated to 1958 and 2008 respectively. Cohesive devices such as 'Overall', 'whereas', 'However', and 'while' are used accurately and flexibly to guide the reader through the comparisons. Paragraphing is used sufficiently and appropriately, ensuring the response hangs together cohesively.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The student uses an adequate and sufficiently varied range of vocabulary for the task. Phrases like 'largest proportion', 'devoted 33% of their total time', and 'accounted for the largest proportion' demonstrate appropriate control of topic-specific language. Less common lexical items and phrases, such as 'commuting to work' and 'relaxing at home', are integrated successfully. While the vocabulary is not particularly sophisticated or uncommon enough to push into the higher bands, it is precise enough to convey the information clearly with no impeding errors.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

The response displays a good mix of simple and complex sentence forms. The writer successfully employs complex structures, such as concessive and relative clauses, seen in sentences like 'working adults devoted 33% of their total time to working, which was more than the time used for other activities.' Grammatical control is generally strong; sentences are mostly accurate, and punctuation is well-managed throughout. Minor slips are absent, and the frequency of error-free sentences aligns well with the criteria for Band 7.

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

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