Band 7.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.5 · Recent IELTS Exams (Canada & India) · 2026-10-01

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 7.5)

The provided pie charts depict the average distribution of time spent on various activities by employed individuals in a specific country in 1958 and 2008.

In general, the majority of employed individuals allocated the largest portion of their day to work, both in 1958 and 2008. Additionally, there was an evident inverse correlation between time spent working and time spent sleeping over the 50-year period.

In 1958, approximately one-third of the day was dedicated to work, followed closely by just under one-third for sleeping. Socializing with friends or family accounted for the next significant portion of time, occupying 19% of the day. Conversely, commuting to work represented the smallest fraction of an individual's daily activities.

By contrast, in 2008, the percentage of time spent at work notably increased to 42%, while the time allocated for sleeping decreased to 25%. The proportion of time spent socializing with family and friends decreased to 6%, while more time was devoted to relaxation at home, accounting for 13% of the day. Furthermore, the time spent commuting to work quadrupled to 8% over the 50-year period.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The response addresses all parts of the prompt by summarising the main features and making relevant comparisons across both years, earning the solid core of the band while reaching toward higher levels through a clear overview. The overview successfully identifies that work occupied the largest portion of time in both years and notes an inverse correlation between working and sleeping hours. Key data points are correctly reported, such as working rising from 33% to 42% and sleeping dropping from 32% to 25%. However, some features are slightly under-developed or less fully extended compared to a higher band; for instance, the minor categories like playing sports (7% in 2008) are omitted from the summary, and the commuting figure for 2008 is slightly misread in the text as 8% instead of the source's 7%, indicating minor inaccuracies in data reporting that prevent a higher evaluation.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.5

The essay demonstrates a clear logical organisation and progression throughout, showing strong characteristics of higher bands while maintaining the features of the awarded score. Information is presented in a well-structured sequence, beginning with an introductory paragraph, followed by a general overview, and then splitting the specific details into logical body paragraphs dedicated to 1958 and 2008 respectively. Cohesive devices are used effectively and flexibly to guide the reader through the comparisons, such as "In general", "Conversely", and "By contrast". Paragraphing is managed logically and appropriately, with each paragraph focusing on a distinct aspect of the visual data. Referencing is clear throughout, and the progression from general trends to specific percentages feels natural and coherent.

Lexical Resource: Band 7.5

The student uses an adequate and sufficiently wide range of vocabulary for the task, allowing for some precision and flexibility in describing data trends. Less common lexical items and phrasing are attempted with reasonable success, such as "average distribution", "employed individuals", "inverse correlation", and "proportion of time". Word choices are generally appropriate and demonstrate an awareness of academic style and collocation, such as "allocated the largest portion" and "commuting to work". While there are occasional minor inaccuracies in word choice or minor data translation slips—such as reading 7% as 8% for 2008 commuting—these do not impede communication, and the vocabulary easily supports a clear, fluent delivery well-suited to academic writing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 8.0

Grammatical control is a notable strength in this response, featuring a wide range of complex sentence structures with the majority of sentences remaining entirely error-free. The student demonstrates excellent command over subordinate clauses and participial structures, as seen in "followed closely by just under one-third for sleeping" and "while more time was devoted to relaxation at home". Verb tenses, past simple forms for historical data, and agreement are handled accurately across complex frameworks. Punctuation is used correctly to separate clauses and structure the comparative arguments. The presence of frequent error-free complex sentences and reliable control over grammar and punctuation fully secures this high evaluation.

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

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