Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Recent IELTS Exams (Canada & India) · 2026-09-17

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 charts compare how working adults in a particular country allocated their time to different activities in 1958 and 2008.

Overall, working adults spent considerably more time on leisure and travelling in 2008, while the proportions of time devoted to working and sleeping decreased. The most significant change was the sharp rise in the amount of time spent on leisure activities.

In 1958, working accounted for the largest proportion of the day, at 33%, followed by sleeping at 32%. Leisure activities made up 19%, while travelling represented only 2% of the day. The remaining time was spent on other activities, including household duties and personal care.

By 2008, the proportion of time spent working had fallen to 24%, a decrease of 9 percentage points. Similarly, sleeping declined slightly to 25%. In contrast, leisure activities increased substantially, rising from 19% to 29%. Travelling also became much more significant, increasing from just 2% in 1958 to 8% in 2008.

Overall, the figures indicate a shift away from work and sleep towards leisure and travelling over the 50-year period.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The student successfully covers all parts of the task by reporting the main features of the pie charts and making relevant comparisons between 1958 and 2008. The overview statement correctly highlights the broad trends—specifically, the rise in leisure and travelling versus the decline in working and sleeping. However, there is a notable data error in the body paragraphs: the student states that working in 2008 fell to 24%, whereas the chart indicates it rose to 42%. Additionally, the figure for leisure in 2008 is reported as 29%, which does not match the chart data (relaxing at home 13%, going out 6%, playing sports 7%, totalling 26% or individually not matching 29%). Despite these inaccuracies in data transcription from the source, the response presents a clear overview and addresses the prompt adequately, earning a solid band 6.0.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The response is coherently structured with a logical overall progression. The essay is divided into appropriate paragraphs, starting with an introduction, followed by a general overview, detailed body paragraphs for each year, and a concluding summary. Cohesive devices are used reasonably well to link ideas, such as 'Overall', 'In 1958', 'By 2008', and 'In contrast'. Paragraphing is used sufficiently and appropriately to separate the introduction, body details, and conclusion. While some of the cohesive transitions are slightly formulaic, the logical arrangement ensures the reader can easily follow the comparison between the two time periods. This performance aligns well with the descriptors for Band 7.0.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary suitable for the task, successfully employing terms such as 'allocated', 'proportions', 'substantially', and 'percentage points'. There are attempts to use less common vocabulary like 'considerably' and 'significant change'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and data reporting, such as misstating percentages from the chart, which detracts slightly from lexical precision. Spelling and word formation are generally accurate throughout the response. The lexical range is sufficient to allow flexibility and precision, fitting comfortably into Band 6.5, though rounded to 6.0 for IELTS scoring increments.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

The student uses a good mix of simple and complex sentence structures, incorporating subordinate clauses effectively (e.g., 'while the proportions of time devoted to working and sleeping decreased'). Grammatical control is generally strong, with a high proportion of error-free sentences, such as 'In contrast, leisure activities increased substantially, rising from 19% to 29%.' Punctuation and sentence boundaries are handled correctly throughout the text. Although there are minor data inaccuracies in the content, the grammatical structures used to convey the information are accurate and varied. This demonstrates the control and variety expected at the Band 7.0 level.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.