Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-07-27

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 6.5)

The bar chart illustrates the percentage of weekly income spent by families from 1968 to 2018.

Examining the details of average weekly spending activities from 1968 to 2018. The highest proportion of income spent on food at 35% in 1968 and 16% in 2018, showing a sharp decline throughout the period. In contrast, other expand criteria were noted less than 10%, indicating a minimal expense in 1968.

By 2018, the proportion of a leisure spending increased significantly at around 8% to 24%. Following this, a housing ratio increased by 10% compared to 1968, indicating a sharp growth. However, other spending sector such as fuel power, a clothing and footwear and personal goods were accounted less figure compared to baseline year. Meanwhile, household goods remained same over the period at around 7%. A transport showed slightly increment throughout the year.

Overall, the spending criteria observed significant changes over the period. Food was the dominant sector at the first after that declined dramatically. However, other sector such as transport, leisure as well as housing increased by the period.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

You have successfully identified the main trends, such as the significant decline in food spending and the rise in leisure and housing costs. However, the response lacks a clear overview in the introduction, and some data points are slightly inaccurate or vague, such as stating 'other expand criteria were noted less than 10%' without specifying which categories. To reach a higher band, ensure that all key features are clearly highlighted in a dedicated overview paragraph and that comparisons between the two years are more precise and consistently supported by the data provided in the chart.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is organised into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the use of cohesive devices is sometimes mechanical or slightly awkward, such as 'Following this' or 'Meanwhile'. The progression of ideas is generally logical, but the transition between the introduction and the body paragraphs is abrupt due to the sentence fragment 'Examining the details of average weekly spending activities from 1968 to 2018.' Improving the variety and natural flow of linking words would enhance the overall coherence of your writing.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

You have a sufficient range of vocabulary to convey the main points, including terms like 'proportion', 'significant', and 'dominant'. However, there are several instances of word-choice errors and awkward phrasing, such as 'other expand criteria', 'a leisure spending', and 'less figure'. These errors occasionally hinder the precision of your descriptions. To improve, focus on using collocations correctly (e.g., 'expenditure categories' instead of 'expand criteria') and ensure that articles (a/the) are used appropriately with nouns.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text. Examples include 'a clothing and footwear and personal goods were accounted less figure' and 'A transport showed slightly increment'. These errors involve subject-verb agreement, article usage, and word form. While these mistakes do not completely impede communication, they are frequent enough to prevent a higher score. Focus on proofreading for basic grammatical accuracy and ensuring that your complex sentences are constructed correctly.

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