Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · IELTS Momentum Workout · 2026-09-25

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

The bar chart below shows the average number of hours that women in various age groups and women with varying levels of education spend on primary activities each week.

Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

Average hours per week women spent in selected primary activities, by age and educational attainment, 2009

Student answer (Band 6.0)

The bar chart compares the average number of hours per week that women spent on three primary activities (working and work-related activities, leisure and sports, and household activities) in 2009. The data is grouped by age and educational attainment.

Overall, younger women spent more time working, while older women devoted much more time to leisure activities. Household activities remained relatively stable across most age and education groups. In addition, women with lower educational qualifications worked more hours than those with higher qualifications.

Among the age groups, women aged 20 to 24 spent the greatest amount of time working, at 32.7 hours per week. This figure gradually declined with age, reaching only 3.3 hours among women aged 75 and over. In contrast, leisure time increased significantly with age, rising from 36.8 hours for those aged 15 to 19 to a peak of 51.7 hours for the oldest group. Household activities generally ranged from around 10 to 21 hours per week and were highest among women aged 65 to 74.

Regarding educational attainment, women with less than a high school diploma worked the most, averaging 43.1 hours weekly, whereas those with a bachelor’s degree or higher worked only 27.4 hours. Leisure time showed the opposite pattern, while household activities varied only slightly, remaining between approximately 15 and 21 hours per week.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The student provides a good overview of the main trends in the chart, noting the differences across age groups and educational attainment levels. However, there are significant data misinterpretations regarding the specific figures. For instance, the student states that women aged 20 to 24 spent 32.7 hours working, whereas the chart shows this figure was for leisure and sports, with working hours at 22.1. Similarly, under educational attainment, the student confuses the categories by stating that women with less than a high school diploma worked 43.1 hours (which corresponds to leisure and sports) and that those with a bachelor's degree worked 27.4 hours (which actually represents leisure and sports as well). Despite these data inaccuracies, the response covers all parts of the task and attempts comparisons, warranting a Band 6.0.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response is logically organised into four distinct paragraphs: an introduction, an overview, a body paragraph dedicated to age groups, and a final body paragraph focusing on educational attainment. Cohesive devices are used adequately to link ideas, such as 'Overall,' 'In addition,' 'Among the age groups,' and 'Regarding educational attainment.' Paragraphing is used appropriately and supports the overall structure of an Academic Task 1 report. Referencing is generally clear, resulting in a coherent and easy-to-follow text that meets the Band 7 requirements for logical progression and paragraphing.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is generally adequate for the task, with appropriate topic-specific terminology such as 'educational attainment,' 'primary activities,' 'gradually declined,' and 'peak.' The writer attempts some less common phrasing like 'greatest amount of time working' and 'opposite pattern.' However, lexical control is undermined by major inaccuracies caused by data misreadings, which affect the precision of the language. There are no spelling errors, and communication is maintained throughout, fitting the Band 6 descriptor well.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

The response demonstrates a good mix of simple and complex sentence structures, including relative clauses and comparative forms (e.g., 'The bar chart compares...', 'while older women devoted much more time...', 'whereas those with a bachelor's degree or higher worked only 27.4 hours'). There is good control of grammar and punctuation, with frequent error-free sentences throughout the text. Minor errors do not impede communication at all. The grammatical control displayed is consistent with a Band 7 level.

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