Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Recent IELTS Exams (Canada & India) · 2026-10-05

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 about the spending of time by working adults in a specific country in 1958 and 2008.

Overall, there has been significant changes in how working adults spend their time. The proportion of working adults who spent their time on work increased significantly compared to previous year. Moreover, there has also been a surge in the proportion of time spent at relaxing at home by working adults. However, there has also been significant decline in few catogories, like sleep time, and going out with family/friends.

In 1958, working adults spent their 33% of time at work, which increased by 9% in 2008 to reach 42%. Furthermore, In 1958, the time taken by adults to reach at their workplace was 2%, that time increased to 7% in 1958. There was also an increase in the time spent by working adults to relax at home. In 1958, they spent 8% of their time, which increased to 13% in 2008.

In contrast, there has also been a decline in some catogories. Working adults who spent their 32% of time in sleeping declined to 25% in 2008. Moreover, going out with friends/family also reduced to 6% in 2008, which was 19% in 1958. Time spent by adults on sports remained same in both years.

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 from both charts, ensuring comparisons are made where relevant. For instance, the student correctly highlights the rise in working hours from 33% to 42% and notes categories that experienced a decline, such as sleeping and socialising. However, some ideas are under-developed or less precise. The overview attempts to capture general trends, but the third body paragraph contains a chronological slip, stating that travel time increased 'to 7% in 1958' rather than 2008. Additionally, the specific detail regarding sports being present in 2008 at 7% but absent in 1958 is missed, reflecting a tendency to address certain elements more superficially than others. To reach a higher band, the overview could be sharper and all major trends articulated with complete factual precision.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response presents a coherent overall arrangement with a clear attempt at logical organisation, dividing the information into an introduction, an overview, and separate body paragraphs for increases and decreases. Cohesive devices such as 'Overall', 'Furthermore', and 'In contrast' are used to structure the text, though their application can sometimes feel mechanical or slightly repetitive. Referencing and paragraphing are generally appropriate, but the progression between ideas could be smoother. For instance, the transition into the final paragraph repeats similar framing structures seen earlier ('there has also been a decline'). To improve further, the writer should employ a wider variety of cohesive devices more naturally and ensure that referencing within and across sentences links data points more fluidly without relying on formulaic transitions.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, successfully conveying basic comparisons and changes through words like 'proportion', 'surge', and 'decline'. The student makes attempts at less common vocabulary, but these are occasionally marred by word-choice inaccuracies and spelling errors. For example, 'catogories' is misspelled, 'spend of time' is awkward phrasing, and phrases like 'spent at relaxing' contain unnecessary prepositions. Words are sometimes chosen without full regard for natural collocation, such as 'sleep time' instead of 'sleeping'. To achieve a higher score, the writer needs to incorporate a wider range of precise, less common lexical items with correct collocations, avoid repetitive expressions, and eliminate basic spelling and word-form slips.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, incorporating relative clauses and comparative structures. There are several grammatical errors present, particularly concerning prepositions, articles, and verb tenses or agreement, such as 'The pie chart illustrates about' (unnecessary preposition) and 'there has been significant changes' (subject-verb agreement). Another notable error occurs in the phrasing 'time taken by adults to reach at their workplace'. Despite these errors, they rarely impede communication, and the meaning remains clear throughout the text. To progress to a higher band, the writer must exercise better control over complex grammatical patterns, ensure accurate subject-verb agreement and prepositions, and produce a higher proportion of error-free sentences.

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.