Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-07-24

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 following horizontal bar graph illustrates the information about how families in one country spent their weekly income in 1968 and in 2018.

The bar graph compares the average weekly spending in 1968 and 2018. Initially, one of the major aspects of both of the distinct periods was food. In 1968 the percentage of weekly income spent on food was approximately 16%. Conversely, in 2018 it was twice as much as in 1968, as it rose to 35% of weekly income spent on food. Secondly, another major aspect in both of the years was leisure, as clearly seen in 1968 around 9% of weekly income was associated with leisure. Whereas, compared to recent times it was more than doubled to 22% of weekly income invested in leisure in 2018. Thirdly, the least amount of weekly income burnt in both of the eras was fuel and power. In 1968 it roughly paid 6% of weekly income connected to fuel and power. Similarly, in 2018 it reduced more to 4% of weekly income engrossed in fuel power, which is due to the spiked up prices of electricity and fossil fuels.

Overall, it can be clearly seen that the spending percentage of weekly income is different in both of the intervals due to the preference and choice of people, while there were similarities in some kinds of aspects.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response covers the main features of the data, but there are significant factual inaccuracies regarding the data provided in the prompt. For example, you state that food spending rose to 35% in 2018, whereas the chart indicates a decrease from 35% in 1968 to 17% in 2018. Additionally, you claim leisure spending doubled to 22%, but the chart shows it increased from 9% to 22%. These misinterpretations of the data significantly impact the accuracy of the report. While you attempt to compare the two years, the incorrect data reporting prevents a higher score.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The response is organized into logical paragraphs, and there is a clear attempt to use cohesive devices such as 'Initially', 'Conversely', and 'Similarly'. However, the progression of ideas is sometimes mechanical, and the use of linking words is occasionally repetitive. The overall structure is functional, but the flow between sentences could be improved to better highlight the comparisons between the two years. Paragraphing is present, but the final paragraph is quite brief and does not fully synthesize the main trends effectively.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You use a range of vocabulary, but some word choices are inappropriate or unnatural in an academic context. For instance, 'burnt' to describe spending is informal and inaccurate, and 'engrossed in' is used incorrectly to describe expenditure. Phrases like 'spiked up prices' are also slightly informal. While you attempt to use a variety of terms, the lack of precision and the misuse of collocations limit the effectiveness of your writing. To improve, focus on using more neutral, precise academic vocabulary related to statistics and trends.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'both of the distinct periods' (redundant) and 'it reduced more to 4%'. The phrase 'it roughly paid 6% of weekly income connected to fuel' is also syntactically awkward. While the meaning is generally clear despite these errors, the control over complex structures is inconsistent. Improving your grasp of passive voice and more sophisticated sentence construction would help elevate your score in this criterion.

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