Band 8.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 8.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-07-25

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 8.0)

The table provides data about an general living costs, shown in percentage of total income, in multiple categories, every week of a household in a selected nation between 1968 and 2018,

Looking at the graph, we can observe that while food, fuel and power, clothing and footware, and personal goods went down in spending through the study, other expenditures saw an increase usage; Household goods, by contrast, was stable.

Food, comprising an overwhelming 35 percent of the grand weekly revenue of the family in 1968, dropped down to barely 17 percent by 2018. Clothes and individual products follow it, as costs for each of them were somewhat halved from 10 percent and around 8 percent at the start of this research to 5 percent for clothing and footware and a little above 4 percent for personal belongings. Similarly, power bills declined by about 2 percent by 2018.

On the other hand, three out of the four expenditures left, rent or mortgage, cash outflow for transportation, and prices for relaxation and other activities, had a significant growth. While all of the three categories made up about or less than 10 percent of the total income in the beginning, they were taking up a bigger amount of the proportion by 2018; housing reached closed to 19 percent of the total weekly budget as its cost almost doubled, the transport now took up between 14 and 15 percent, and leisure, having the biggest climb at about 13 percent, became the most expensive part of the household spendings by the year 2018.

One exception is the consistency of the cost of purchasing household items; it rarely changed in the given information spanning 50 decades as the price for the goods stayed at around 8 percent of both the 1968 household's budget and the 2018 family's weekly spending.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 8.0

The response effectively addresses the task by identifying the main trends and making relevant comparisons between 1968 and 2018. You successfully categorized the spending items into those that decreased, increased, or remained stable. The overview is clear, and the data is used to support the main points. To reach a higher band, ensure that all data points are precise; for instance, stating 'between 14 and 15 percent' for transport is slightly vague when the chart provides specific figures. Overall, the response covers all requirements well and provides a clear summary of the information provided in the chart.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 8.5

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a concluding observation. The progression of ideas is smooth, moving from categories that decreased to those that increased, and finally to the stable category. You use a range of cohesive devices such as 'On the other hand', 'by contrast', and 'Similarly' to link ideas effectively. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate different trends. The flow is natural, and the referencing is clear throughout the text, making the information easy to follow.

Lexical Resource — Band 7.5

You demonstrate a good range of vocabulary, using terms like 'expenditures', 'comprising', 'revenue', and 'consistency' appropriately. There are some minor inaccuracies, such as 'increase usage' instead of 'increased usage' and '50 decades' (which is 500 years, not 50 years). However, these errors do not impede communication. The use of 'grand weekly revenue' is slightly unnatural in this context; 'total weekly expenditure' would be more precise. Overall, the vocabulary is sufficient to convey the information with some flexibility and precision.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 7.5

The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are some grammatical slips, such as 'an general living costs' (should be 'general living costs') and 'clothes and individual products follow it' (should be 'followed'). Additionally, 'housing reached closed to' should be 'reached close to'. Despite these occasional errors, the majority of your sentences are error-free, and the meaning is always clear. You demonstrate good control over punctuation and sentence structure, which allows for a smooth reading experience.

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