Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Recent IELTS Exams (Canada & India) · 2026-10-08

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 charts illustrate how working adults in a country spend their free time between 1958 and 2008.

Overall, the highest proportion for both years were spend working. The lowest ratio varied from travelling to work, going out with friends and family and playing sports.

In detail, in 1958, adults spend most of their time working accounting for 33% followed closely by sleeping with a percentage behind at 32%. The other activities all share not more than 20% each. Working grown-ups preferred to go out with friends and family at 19%. Some adults were more comfortable relaxing at home with 8% and 2% used their spare time travelling to work.

Meanwhile, in 2008, a shift was noticed on how adults utilized their vacant time. The largest portion was for working at 42% and sleeping stood at 25%. By comparison, an increase of 5% was noted for those who wanted to relax at home presented at 13%. A similar percentage of 7% each were observed for those who engaged in physical activities such as sports and travelling to work. The lowest figure was 6% for those working adults who spent their time going out with friends or family.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You cover both years and report several key figures accurately, including working rising from 33% to 42%, sleeping falling from 32% to 25%, and going out declining from 19% to 6%. The overview also identifies work as the largest category in both years. However, it is not fully accurate to describe the charts as showing how adults spent their “free time”: working and sleeping are included, and the 1958 chart has no sports category. The overview’s description of the lowest proportions is also unclear, since travelling is the smallest category in 1958 and going out is the smallest in 2008. Some comparisons, such as the emergence of sports and the increase in commuting, could be more clearly highlighted.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The response is organised effectively into an introduction, an overview, and separate detail paragraphs for each year. Its progression is easy to follow, and linking expressions such as “Overall,” “Meanwhile,” and “By comparison” help signal the relationships between points. The figures are generally grouped sensibly, moving from the largest categories to smaller ones. Some connections could be more precise: “The lowest ratio varied from travelling to work, going out with friends and family and playing sports” is difficult to interpret and does not clearly distinguish the years. Also, the final paragraph lists several 2008 figures without consistently comparing them with their 1958 equivalents. Clearer year-by-year contrasts would make the progression more purposeful.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

You use an adequate range of vocabulary for describing charts, including “proportion,” “accounting for,” “increase,” “shift,” and “largest portion.” These choices help communicate the main figures, and the meaning is generally clear. There are also attempts at less common phrasing, such as “utilized their vacant time,” but this is not a natural description of the chart and repeats the inaccurate idea that the data concern free time. Some collocations are awkward, including “a percentage behind” and “a similar percentage … were observed for those who engaged.” Aim for standard, precise chart language rather than elaborate substitutes: for example, say that a category “accounted for” a share or that the figure “stood at” a percentage. This would improve naturalness and precision.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and more complex sentence forms, including comparisons and subordinate clauses, and the message remains understandable. However, some grammatical errors recur. In the overview, “the highest proportion … were spend” has an agreement problem and an incorrect verb form; “the highest proportions … were spent” or “the largest share was devoted to work” would be grammatical. The past-tense account also shifts to “adults spend” and “2% used,” so keep verb tense consistent when describing the charts. In “a percentage behind at 32%,” the sentence structure is incomplete or unclear. Review subject–verb agreement, past-tense forms, and sentence construction, while retaining the range of structures you already attempt.

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

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