Band 8.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 8.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-07-26

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 bar chart shows how families in one country spent their weekly income on eight different categories in 1968 and 2018. Evidently, People spent much less money on food, while the percentages for housing, transport and leisure increased.

In 1968, food was the biggest expense, making up about 35% of weekly income. Housing and clothing each accounted for around 10%, while transport and leisure were about 8% and 9% respectively. Families also spent around 7% on household goods and 6% on fuel and power. Personal goods and household goods made up smaller shares.

In 2018, leisure became the largest category at just over 20%. Housing also increased to about 19%, and transport rose to around 14%. On the other hand, spending on food dropped to about 17%, which was about half of the figure in 1968. Clothing and footwear, fuel and power, and personal goods all fell to around 4%–5%. Household goods stayed almost the same, at about 7%.

Overall, family spending changed from basic needs to lifestyle and transport.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 8.0

The response effectively addresses all parts of the task. You have successfully identified the main trends, such as the shift from food to leisure as the primary expenditure, and provided relevant data points to support these observations. The overview is clear and captures the essence of the changes between 1968 and 2018. The comparison between the two years is well-integrated throughout the body paragraphs. To reach a higher band, ensure that you consistently include all categories mentioned in the chart; for instance, you mentioned 'personal goods' in the second paragraph but did not provide a specific figure, which would have strengthened the analysis.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 8.5

The response is logically organized, with a clear introduction, two body paragraphs focusing on the two time periods, and a concise summary. The progression of ideas is smooth, and you have used cohesive devices such as 'In 1968', 'In 2018', and 'On the other hand' effectively to guide the reader. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the data sets. The flow is natural, and the relationship between the two years is clearly established, making the information easy to follow.

Lexical Resource — Band 7.5

You have used a sufficient range of vocabulary to describe the data, including terms like 'accounted for', 'respectively', and 'expenditure'. The language is precise and appropriate for an academic report. While the vocabulary is accurate, it is somewhat functional. To achieve a higher score, try to incorporate more sophisticated collocations or varied synonyms for 'increased' and 'decreased' (e.g., 'surged', 'plummeted', 'witnessed a marginal decline') to demonstrate a wider, more flexible range of lexical items.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 8.0

The response demonstrates good control over grammatical structures. You have used a mix of simple and complex sentences effectively, such as 'Evidently, People spent much less money on food, while the percentages for housing, transport and leisure increased.' Punctuation is generally accurate, and there are very few errors. The sentences are clear and easy to read. To move toward a higher band, ensure consistent capitalization (e.g., 'people' should not be capitalized mid-sentence) and aim for a slightly more varied use of complex sentence structures to showcase your grammatical flexibility.

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.