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 two pie charts illustrates how working adults in a particular country spent their time in 1958 and 2008.

Overall, working accounted for the largest proportion of the day in both years, and the percentage increased considerably over the 50-year period. In contrast, the amount of time spent sleeping and socialising with friends or family declined. Meanwhile, travelling to work and relaxing at home became more common in 2008.

In 1958, working occupied 33% of the day, followed closely by sleeping at 32%. Going out with friends or family represented 19%, while relaxing at home accounted for only 8%. The smallest proportion was spent travelling to work, at just 2%.

By 2008, the proportion of time spent working had risen to 42%, an increase of 9 percentage points. Sleeping, however, fell from 32% to 25%. The percentage spent relaxing at home also increased, reaching 13%. Similarly, travelling to work rose significantly from 2% to 7%. In contrast, going out with friends or family decreased sharply to 6%. A new category, playing sports, accounted for 7% of the day in 2008.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 8.0

The response covers all parts of the task well, providing a clear and fully developed overview followed by well-selected supporting data. The student successfully identifies the main features and makes precise comparisons between the two years, such as noting that working accounted for the largest proportion and increased considerably, while sleeping and socialising declined. Every key category from the charts—including the new category of playing sports in 2008—is accurately reported and supported with exact percentages and changes. The information is entirely grounded in the visual data with no misinterpretations or omissions, demonstrating a high level of accuracy and task fulfillment.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.5

The response demonstrates clear logical organisation and progression throughout. Information is grouped logically by theme and time period, moving smoothly from a general overview into detailed paragraphs for 1958 and 2008. Cohesive devices are used flexibly and appropriately to connect ideas, such as "In contrast", "Meanwhile", and "Similarly". Paragraphing is managed effectively, with each paragraph serving a distinct function in structuring the summary. While the progression is logical and clear, slightly more seamless integration between the comparative data points across the two years could push the cohesion to an even higher level.

Lexical Resource: Band 7.0

The student uses a sufficient range of vocabulary with some flexibility and precision, successfully employing less common items and functional reporting language such as "accounted for", "proportion", "rose significantly", and "decreased sharply". Word choice and collocations are generally natural, though there are occasional minor slips in phrasing, such as the subject-verb agreement error in the opening sentence ("The two pie charts illustrates"). Despite this occasional slip, the vocabulary is varied enough to convey precise numerical data and trends without impeding communication, demonstrating a solid command of lexical features appropriate for this level.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 7.0

The response exhibits a good variety of complex sentence structures alongside simple forms, with frequent error-free sentences. The writer demonstrates good control over tense usage when describing past data ("occupied", "represented", "had risen") and handles percentages and relative clauses smoothly. While there is a minor grammatical slip in the very first sentence with subject-verb agreement, the remainder of the text is well-controlled, and punctuation is handled correctly. To reach the highest band, the writer would need to eliminate all minor slips entirely and maintain an even wider range of flawless complex structures throughout the entire text.

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

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