Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-11-12

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

The chart below gives information about how families in one country spent their weekly income in 1968 and in 2018.

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

1968 and 2018: average weekly spending by families

Student answer (Band 6.0)

The bar chart illustrates about how families spent their weekly income in one country between 1968 and in 2018.

Overall, In 1968, greater amount of money was spent on food while lower amount of income was spent on fuel and power. In 2018, largest amount of money was spent in leisure while lower amount of money were spent in fuel and power and personal goods.

In 1968, greater amount of income was spent in food that was 35% while in 2018, largest proportion of money was spent in leisure that was almost 22%, the consumption of money remained same in housing, clothing and footware that was 10%, while in 2018 the consumption for housing was larger than previous year that was 19%. The proportion of money that was spent on fuel and power was 6% in 1968 while in 2018 it was only 4%. Furthermore, the amount of money that was spent on household goods remained same in both years that was 9%.

Additionally, In 1968, the amount of money that was spent on personal goods was 9% while in 2018 it was only3%. Furthermore, the amount of money that was spent on transport was larger than previous year.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the main contrast: food was the largest category in 1968, while leisure led in 2018, and fuel and power was among the smallest categories. Several comparisons are also relevant, including housing rising from 10% to 19% and fuel and power falling from 6% to 4%. However, some figures are inaccurate: household goods was 8% in both years, not 9%, and personal goods was 8% in 1968 and 4% in 2018, rather than 9% and 3%. The statement that clothing remained at 10% is also misleading, as it fell to 5% in 2018. Transport is said to have increased, but its figures are not reported. Include these key changes accurately and make the overview more precise.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, an overview and two detail paragraphs, and the reader can follow the broad comparison between the years. Linking expressions such as “Overall,” “Furthermore” and “Additionally” help connect points. However, the final paragraph feels incomplete: it says transport was higher in 2018 without giving the comparison or value, and the preceding details do not consistently group the categories by their trends. Repeated phrasing such as “the amount of money that was spent” also makes progression feel mechanical. Organise the details around the largest changes and categories that stayed similar, and use clearer references to the two years.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant chart vocabulary, including “proportion,” “income,” “remained same” and “largest amount,” so the topic is generally clear. However, several expressions are repetitive or imprecise: “consumption of money” is not a natural way to describe spending, and “greater amount” is repeated where a more exact comparison would help. There are also word-choice and spelling issues, including “footware” and “only3%.” Use standard category names and concise reporting verbs such as “accounted for,” “rose” and “fell.” A broader, more accurate range of terms would make the comparisons clearer and more natural.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple statements and longer sentences with clauses, for example the comparison beginning “The proportion of money that was spent on fuel and power…”. Meaning is usually understandable, but some grammatical errors remain. The introduction has an awkward time phrase (“between 1968 and in 2018”), and the overview contains agreement problems in “lower amount of money were spent.” Capitalisation after sentence openings is inconsistent, as in “Overall, In 1968” and “Additionally, In 1968.” Some long sentences also join several comparisons without clear punctuation, making them harder to process. Practise accurate comparative sentence patterns and check subject–verb agreement, articles and punctuation when editing.

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