Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · 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 6.0)

The pie charts compare the work-life balance of adults in a specific country between two different years, 1958 and 2008.

Overall, employees in 1958 experienced a better work-life balance with fewer working hours, longer sleeping periods and spending more time with friends and family.

Hours spent working have drastically increased from 33% of the day in 1958 to 42% in 2008. This has caused the employees to sacrifice time for other activities. This includes reducing sleeping hours from 32% to 25%, increasing the time spent for travelling to work from mere 2% of the day to 7% and ones to take the biggest hit are friends and family; the time spent with them drastically reduced from 19% of the day in 1958 to just 6% in 2008. However, not every aspect has seen a reduced time, relaxing at home and playing sports has increased from 8% and 6% to 13% and 7% in 2008

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You identify the main contrast accurately: working rises from 33% to 42%, while sleeping and time with friends or family fall from 32% to 25% and 19% to 6%. The overview also captures the broad shift towards work and away from socialising. This is a relevant, well-focused response, and the key figures are generally reported correctly. However, the overview’s claim that adults had a “better work-life balance” in 1958 is an interpretation rather than a feature directly shown by the charts. The treatment of relaxing at home and sports is less clear: the 1958 figure for sports is not provided, and the sentence gives 6% as though it were a 1958 value, although 6% is the 2008 figure for socialising. A more neutral overview and clearer handling of the sports category would strengthen the response.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall shape: an introduction, an overview, and a paragraph comparing the figures. The sequence from working to sleep, commuting and socialising is easy to follow, and linking phrases such as “Overall,” “This includes” and “However” help signal relationships. Cohesion is not always smooth, though. “This has caused the employees to sacrifice time” presents a causal explanation that the charts do not establish, and the long final sentence combines several categories and figures, making the comparison harder to track. The reference “ones to take the biggest hit” is also unclear. Use shorter, more controlled comparisons and group the categories with similar trends to make progression more consistent.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use a suitable range of vocabulary for describing change, including “increased,” “reducing,” “reduced” and “drastically.” Terms such as “work-life balance” and “spending more time” also help communicate the overall comparison. Some choices are imprecise or informal for an academic report: “take the biggest hit” is conversational, while “sacrifice time” implies a cause not demonstrated by the charts. “Hours spent working” is also not quite accurate because the figures represent percentages of the day, not hours. There is some repetition of “time spent” and “drastically.” Aim for precise chart language and a wider selection of neutral verbs, such as “accounted for,” “declined” and “rose,” while avoiding interpretations of why the figures changed.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use both simple and more complex sentence forms, and most of the meaning remains clear. The opening comparison and the sentence reporting the changes in work and sleep are generally understandable. Some grammatical and punctuation problems remain, particularly in the final sentence: “relaxing at home and playing sports has increased” has a subject–verb agreement error, and the sentence lacks a full stop. The phrase “from 8% and 6% to 13% and 7%” also makes the pairings difficult to interpret, while “and ones to take the biggest hit are friends and family” is an awkwardly constructed clause. Separate the comparisons into complete sentences, check agreement with compound subjects, and use punctuation to make each figure’s category explicit.

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

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