Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Recent IELTS Exams (Canada & India) · 2026-10-16

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 7.0)

The pie charts illustrate how adults in a specific country spent their time in the years 1958 and 2008. The activities are displayed in percentages.

Overall, working recorded the highest amount of time spent in both years and travelling to work remained the lowest in 1958, but that changed in 2008, with time with friends/family being the lowest in that year. Moreover, working time increased in 2008 as compared to 1958 and similarly so did the relaxation at home.

In 1958, people spent 33% of their time on work but it increased to 42% in 2008. Sports showed a modest increase of 1% only in 2008 to 7% from 6% in 1958. In contrast, people spent 32% of their time on sleeping in 1958, which declined to 25% in 2008. Only 2% spent their time on travelling to work in 1958, but it rose to 7% in 2008. Similarly, relaxing at home also jumped from 8% in 1958 to 13% in 2008. Furthermore, spending time with friends or family decreased dramatically from 19% in 1958 to just 6% in 2008.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

The response gives a clear overview of the main shifts: work takes the largest share in both years, while the smallest category changes from commuting in 1958 to time with friends or family in 2008. It also reports the key figures accurately, including work rising from 33% to 42%, sleep falling from 32% to 25%, and socialising dropping from 19% to 6%. The comparison of relaxation at home is also correct. However, the account of sport is inaccurate: the chart shows sport at 7% in 2008, but it does not show a sports category in 1958; the 6% figure belongs to going out with friends or family in 2008. Correcting this misreading and making the overview’s comparisons more precise would strengthen an otherwise well-supported summary.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The information is organised clearly, moving from an introduction and overview to a paragraph of specific comparisons. The overview identifies the dominant category and the change in the smallest category, and the final paragraph groups the figures in a generally logical way. Linking expressions such as “In contrast,” “Similarly,” and “Furthermore” help signal relationships between the data. Some transitions are a little mechanical, however, and “Moreover” introduces a point that largely repeats the preceding statement about work and relaxation. The sports comparison also interrupts the otherwise clear sequence because it is based on a misread figure. Grouping the increases together and then the decreases, with more precise referencing, would make the progression smoother.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

The vocabulary is sufficient to describe the chart and includes useful reporting language such as “declined,” “rose,” “jumped,” and “decreased dramatically.” These choices help distinguish the direction and scale of changes, and the meaning remains clear throughout. Some phrasing is less precise or natural for an academic chart summary: “highest amount of time spent” is wordy, while “sports showed a modest increase of 1% only” is both awkward and based on a mistaken comparison. “Time with friends/family” is understandable, but “going out with friends or family” more closely reflects the chart category. To develop greater flexibility and precision, use concise terms such as “proportion” or “share” and ensure that category labels match the visual exactly.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 7.0

The response uses a good mix of simple and complex sentences, including contrast clauses such as “which declined to 25%” and “but it rose to 7%.” Most sentences are grammatically clear, and punctuation generally supports the comparisons. A few constructions are less controlled: “working recorded the highest amount of time spent” is an awkward sentence pattern, and “similarly so did the relaxation at home” has an unclear structure. The phrase “increased in 2008 as compared to 1958” is understandable but could be expressed more directly as “increased from 1958 to 2008.” Continue using subordinate clauses, but check that the subject and comparison are explicit in each sentence; this will preserve the range while improving accuracy and naturalness.

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

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