Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Recent IELTS Exams (Canada & India) · 2026-10-19

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 illustrate how working adults in a particular country spent their time in 1958 and 2008. Several activities are mentioned in the charts with specific percentages, which indicate the time any person spent on them.

Most adults worked in both years, with 33% in 1958, which increased to 42% in 2008. Besides work, most people spent their time sleeping; in 1958, 32% of adults did so, but by 2008, it decreased to 25%.

Many adults chose to relax at home in 2008, as the percentage increased from 8% in 1958 to 13% in 2008. In addition, many adults chose to travel to work, as the percentage increased from 2% to 7% in 2008.

In addition to this, one thing that has changed is that in 2008, only 6% of adults preferred going out with their families and friends, while in 1958, 19% of people liked to go out.

One new thing added in the 2008 activity chart is that 7% of people like to play sports.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You report several key figures accurately, including work rising from 33% to 42%, sleep falling from 32% to 25%, and going out declining from 19% to 6%. You also note the appearance of sports in 2008. However, the response lacks a clear overview of the main pattern across the charts; the opening only introduces the topic, while the later paragraphs list individual changes. Some descriptions are also imprecise: “Most adults worked” could suggest a majority, although work accounts for less than half in both years, and “many adults” is not a useful comparison for the smaller categories. To strengthen the response, state the dominant shifts together—for example, work became more prominent while socialising and sleep took smaller shares—and compare the relative importance of activities.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a generally understandable sequence: it introduces the charts, discusses work and sleep, then covers relaxation, commuting, socialising and sport. Paragraph breaks help separate these points, and linking phrases such as “Besides work” and “In addition” make relationships between ideas clear. However, the organisation is mainly a list of categories rather than a progression built around the most important overall changes. Connect related increases and decreases more deliberately, and avoid repetitive transitions such as “In addition” and “In addition to this.” The phrase “one thing that has changed” also refers vaguely to the preceding information. A concise overview followed by grouped comparisons would make the progression clearer and cohesion less mechanical.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

Your vocabulary is adequate for describing the charts, and terms such as “increased,” “decreased,” “percentage” and “activity” communicate the main information. You also use some variation in describing changes, including “spent their time” and “preferred going out.” However, several expressions are repetitive or imprecise for formal data reporting. “Most adults worked” overstates the figure, while “many adults chose to” and “one new thing added” sound conversational and do not describe the chart precisely. “The time any person spent on them” is also awkward and adds no useful information. Use more exact reporting language, such as “accounted for,” “share,” or “category,” and vary the wording without implying that the chart records people’s preferences.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, and most sentences are easy to understand. The contrast in “in 1958 … but by 2008, it decreased” is clear, and the sentence comparing going out in the two years is also grammatically controlled. Some sentence patterns are less effective or slightly awkward, particularly “Several activities are mentioned in the charts with specific percentages, which indicate the time any person spent on them”; the relative clause has an unclear reference, and the construction is unnecessarily complicated. The final sentence shifts to “like to play sports,” which is less consistent with reporting past chart data. Keep the past-tense reporting consistent and use simpler, well-controlled clauses when describing figures. More varied but accurate comparisons would improve the range.

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

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