Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · 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 6.5)

The pie chart illustrates the percentage of the day spent by working adults on various activities: going out, traveling to work, sleeping, working, and relaxing at home, between 1958 and 2008.

Overall, the data highlights that sleeping and working were the most common activities among adults in both years.

In 1958, younger people spent the lion's proportion of the share on working, at 33%, followed closely by sleeping at 32%. Meanwhile, going out with friends and family accounted for a moderate proportion, at 19%. However, only 8% adults devoted time to relaxing at home, compared with 2% who spent time traveling to work.

By 2008, the figure for working experienced a significant rise to 42%, while sleeping recorded a noticeable decline, falling to 25%. In stark contrast, the proportion of adults relaxing at home constituted an increase to 13%. Travelling to work and playing sports registered an identical figure of 7%, closely trailed by going out with family and friends, at 6%.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The response addresses all parts of the prompt by selecting and reporting the main features of both charts and making appropriate comparisons. For example, the student correctly identifies that sleeping and working were the most common activities and highlights changes over time, such as working increasing to 42 percent in 2008 and sleeping falling to 25 percent. However, the response sits at this level because some ideas and data points are not fully accurate or developed. Specifically, the student incorrectly refers to the subjects as 'younger people' in 1958, whereas the charts depict 'working adults' generally. Furthermore, the selection of details tends to list figures rather than fully synthesize all the meaningful trends, such as the emergence of playing sports at 7 percent in 2008. To achieve a higher band, the student must ensure all descriptive labels remain objective and ground every reported feature strictly in the provided data.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response demonstrates a coherent overall arrangement with a clear introduction, an overview paragraph, and well-organized body paragraphs that contrast the two years. Information and ideas are logically sequenced, moving smoothly from general patterns to specific data categories. Cohesive devices are used reasonably well to guide the reader, such as 'Meanwhile', 'However', and 'In stark contrast'. However, referencing and transitional flow are occasionally mechanical or slightly repetitive, preventing the response from reaching the next band. For instance, the transition into the final paragraph ('By 2008, the figure for working experienced a significant rise...') functions adequately, but paragraphing and cohesion could be more seamlessly integrated with more advanced referencing. To reach a higher level, the student should ensure that cohesive links connect ideas with greater flexibility and natural progression throughout.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task and attempts less common lexical items, showing some awareness of style and collocation. Examples include phrases like 'lion's proportion of the share', 'moderate proportion', and 'registered an identical figure'. While communication is clear and the vocabulary is sufficient to convey the trends, there are minor issues with word choice and naturalness. For instance, the phrase 'lion's proportion of the share' is a slightly awkward blending of idioms ('lion's share' and 'proportion'), and 'the figure for working experienced a significant rise' contains slight collocation roughness. To move into a higher band, the student needs to use a wider range of less common vocabulary with greater precision, avoiding slightly unnatural phrasings while maintaining accuracy.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 7.0

The writing showcases a strong command of grammar and punctuation, comfortably meeting the expectations of this band. The student successfully employs a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, featuring frequent error-free sentences. Examples of complex structures include 'While sleeping recorded a noticeable decline, falling to 25 percent' and 'Travelling to work and playing sports registered an identical figure of 7 percent, closely trailed by going out with family and friends'. Grammatical control over verb tenses (past simple for 1958 and 2008 comparisons) and prepositions inside complex patterns is generally very good. To achieve an even higher score, the student would need to display a wider range of sophisticated structures consistently across the entire text with near-total absence of minor slips.

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.