Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Recent IELTS Exams (Canada & India) · 2026-09-26

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 the day spent by working adults in a specific country on various activities in two years (1958 and 2008).

Overall, in both years working and sleeping accounted for over half of all the activities, while the least was other activities. There was a significant increase in activities like working and travelling to work, whereas sleeping and going out with friends/family went down significantly in these years.

Time spent on working totaled 33% in 1958 and by 2008 it had increased by about 9% to 42%. Likewise the proportion of activity traveling to work went up by 5% from 2% in the first year to 7% by the final year. Whereas sleeping and going out with friends/family activities decreased significantly, as sleeping fell down from 32% to 25% and going out activity dropped to 6% in 2008 compared to 19% in 1958.

On the other hand, relaxing at home activity increased considerably by 5% from 8% in 1958 to 13% in 2008, but for playing sports it remained constant throughout the two years.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The student successfully addresses all parts of the task by reporting the main features of both pie charts and making relevant comparisons between 1958 and 2008. The overview correctly identifies working and sleeping as the dominant activities and highlights major upward and downward trends. Data points are accurately cited, such as working increasing from 33% to 42% and sleeping falling from 32% to 25%. However, there is a minor factual inaccuracy in the fourth paragraph regarding sports: the student states that 'playing sports it remained constant throughout the two years,' whereas the data shows sports at 7% in 2008 and unmentioned (or 0%) in 1958, meaning it actually appeared rather than remaining constant. Despite this slip, the overall response covers the key information effectively and is well-supported by figures.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response is clearly structured with a logical organization and progression throughout. It begins with an introductory paraphrase, followed by an overarching summary paragraph, and then detailed body paragraphs grouping related activities. Cohesive devices are used reasonably well, such as 'Overall,' 'Likewise,' 'Whereas,' and 'On the other hand.' Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate different categories of comparison. However, cohesion occasionally feels slightly mechanical, and referencing could be smoother in places, such as the transition into the final paragraph. Overall, the flow of information is easy to follow, meeting the criteria for a band 7.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The student demonstrates a sufficient range of vocabulary to allow for flexibility and precision. Appropriate terms like 'proportion,' 'significant increase,' 'considerably,' and 'constant' are used effectively. There are attempts to use less common vocabulary, though some awkward phrasing occurs, such as 'the proportion of activity traveling to work' instead of 'time spent travelling to work' or 'the proportion of time spent travelling.' Word choice and collocations are generally clear, though minor slips like 'going out activity' appear. Spelling is accurate throughout, and communication is never impeded by lexical limitations.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

The writing contains a good mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as subordinate clauses introduced by 'whereas' and relative ideas. Grammatical control is generally quite good, with many error-free sentences. Examples include 'The two pie charts illustrate the proportion...' and 'Time spent on working totaled 33% in 1958 and by 2008 it had increased by about 9% to 42%.' Minor errors occur, such as the awkward phrasing in 'as sleeping fell down from 32% to 25% and going out activity dropped to 6%,' where punctuation and prepositions could be polished ('fell' rather than 'fell down'). Punctuation is generally accurate, and errors do not impede communication.

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

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