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 pie charts illustrate the percentage of the day spent by working adults on various activities in 1958 and 2008.

Overall, working accounted for the largest proportion, while travelling to work represented the smallest share. It is also noticeable that relaxing at home and travelling to work had relatively significant increases, whereas sleeping and going out with friends/family accounted for smaller shares over the period.

Looking first at the larger proportions, working accounted for 33% in 1958, making it the largest category. This was followed by sleeping, which represented 32%. Going out with friends/family accounted for 19%, which was lower than the figure for sleeping. Taken together, these categories made up 84% of the overall figure.

Turning to the remaining categories, relaxing at home accounted for 8%, while travelling to work represented 2%. The smallest proportion was recorded for travelling to work, at 2%. Compared with working, this figure was considerably lower, while relaxing at home was approximately four times as large as travelling to work. In 2008, working increased to 42%, sleeping decreased to 25%, relaxing at home increased to 13%, travelling to work increased to 7%, and going out with friends/family decreased to 6%, while playing sports accounted for 7%.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

The response successfully addresses all parts of the task by presenting a clear overview and selecting key features from both years. The main trends and proportions are reported accurately, such as working being the largest category at 33% in 1958 and increasing to 42% in 2008. The student makes relevant comparisons, noting that travelling to work represented the smallest share. However, there is a slight tendency to over-generalise or state minor mechanical details rather than fully synthesising every shift, which keeps the response from reaching the highest tier. For instance, repeating information about travelling to work twice in the fourth paragraph shows a minor flaw in selection. Overall, the ideas are extended and supported well, fulfilling the requirements for this band.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The essay demonstrates a clear logical organisation and progression throughout. Information and ideas are structured methodically, beginning with an introduction, followed by an overall summary, and then breaking down the specific proportions into distinct paragraphs. Cohesive devices are used effectively to guide the reader through the data, as seen in transition phrases like 'Looking first at the larger proportions' and 'Turning to the remaining categories'. Paragraphing is managed appropriately, and referencing is generally clear, though occasional repetition in sentence openings creates minor mechanical links rather than entirely seamless progression. The progression from general trends to specific data points is handled smoothly, maintaining coherence from start to finish.

Lexical Resource: Band 7.5

The writer employs a sufficient range of vocabulary with good flexibility and precision, suitable for reporting statistical data. Less common lexical items and phrases are used with an awareness of style and collocation, such as 'accounted for', 'largest proportion', 'represented the smallest share', and 'considerably lower'. Word choices are generally accurate and natural, effectively conveying comparative concepts like 'approximately four times as large'. While there are occasional minor slips in expression—such as the redundant restatement of travelling to work—these do not impede communication, and the vocabulary easily supports precise reporting of the chart contents.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 7.5

The response displays a good variety of complex structures alongside simple sentence forms. There is good control of grammar and punctuation, with frequent error-free sentences used to report percentages and time periods. Complex structures, such as participial clauses and comparative subordinate clauses ('which was lower than the figure for sleeping', 'while relaxing at home was approximately four times as large'), are handled with a high degree of accuracy. Although a few minor errors or slightly clunky phrasings persist, they do not obscure meaning, and the overall command of grammatical patterns, verb tenses, and sentence boundaries is strong.

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