Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Recent IELTS Exams (Canada & India) · 2026-10-02

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 6.0)

The pie chart illustrates the proportion of time spent by the employees in a country between 1958 and 2008.

Overall, it clearly shows that, from then to now, after working hours, sleeping held the largest percentage. In addition, travel held the smallest portion in 1958, whereas in 2008, other activities were included and family time had the lowest proprotion.

In 1958, the activity which held the largest portion was working, which accounted at 33%, while sleeping was also the second largest activity at 32%. Moreover, family time accounted for 19%, than relaxation at home was around 8%. The smallest proportion was the time spent travelling from home to the office.

On the other hand, Working accounted for 42% in 2008, while sleeping was again at the second-largest activity at 25%. Meanwhile, relaxation time increases from 8% to 13%. Playing sports was also added, accounting for 7%, while travelling to the office also contributed 7%. Finally, family time had the smallest proportion at just 6%.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The response addresses all parts of the task by selecting and reporting the main features of both pie charts, fulfilling the basic requirements. It highlights key data such as the largest category (working) and provides comparisons between 1958 and 2008. However, some parts are more fully developed than others, and certain details are slightly imprecise or under-developed. For instance, the overview contains a confusing claim that 'sleeping held the largest percentage' after working hours, which slightly misinterprets the overall data structure. To reach a higher level, the overview needs to be sharper and more accurate, capturing the main overarching trends (such as the shift in working hours and leisure activities) without minor confusion.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The text demonstrates a coherent overall arrangement with a clear paragraph structure separating the introduction, overview, and body paragraphs for each year. Information is logically sequenced. However, cohesion is sometimes mechanical or faulty. For example, the transitional phrase 'than relaxation at home was around 8%' is grammatically awkward and disrupts the flow of comparison. Referencing and cohesive devices such as 'On the other hand' and 'Meanwhile' are used, but they could be applied with greater flexibility and precision to establish clearer logical progression throughout the response.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, with appropriate general terms like 'proportion', 'activity', 'percentage', and 'relaxation'. The writer attempts some less common vocabulary such as 'accounted for', but there is some inaccuracy in word choice and form, such as 'proprotion' (spelling error) and phrasing like 'which accounted at 33%' instead of 'which accounted for 33%'. While these errors do not impede communication, they reflect a restricted precision in lexical control. Incorporating a wider range of precise vocabulary relating to data trends would elevate this criterion.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The writing demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, such as 'The pie chart illustrates the proportion of time spent by the employees in a country between 1958 and 2008.' There are some errors in grammar and punctuation, such as tense inconsistency in the body paragraph ('relaxation time increases' instead of 'increased'), and preposition errors like 'accounted at'. Nevertheless, these errors are relatively infrequent and rarely impede communication. To achieve a higher band, the writer needs to produce a greater variety of error-free complex structures with consistent control over past tenses when describing historical data.

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.