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 chart given below illustrates the information about how families in one country spent their weekly income in 1968 and in 2018. It is clearly visible that the key factors that are considered here are food, housing, fuel and power, clothing and footwear, household goods, personal goods, transport and leisure. The maximum expense spent among all other factors is food in the year 1968. It is evident from the graph that 30 percentage of the weekly income was spent in for food. The other expenses did not consume above 10 percent of the weekly income. The efficient consumption of fuel and power in the year 1968 made the expense reduce below 10 percent, this might be because in the past the utilization of vehicles would have been lower as compared to that we have today.

Likewise, the same key evidences are considered to consolidate the percentage of weekly income spent in the year 2018. The maximum expense spent was for leisure activities. Particularly, more than 20 percentage of the weekly income was spent on that whereas the least was spent on personal goods and fuel and power.

It is evident that less that 10 percentage of the weekly income was spent on household chores in 1968 and 2018 which results to appear equal. From the chart given, it is significant that housing and leisure are the areas where more expenses are spent in the year 2018.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response covers the main features of the chart, but the analysis is somewhat superficial. While you identify the highest spending categories for both years, the comparison between 1968 and 2018 is inconsistent. You mention that food was the highest in 1968 and leisure in 2018, but you fail to provide a comprehensive overview of the significant shifts, such as the dramatic decline in food expenditure or the rise in housing costs. Additionally, some of your interpretations, such as linking fuel usage to vehicle utilization, are speculative and not supported by the data provided. To improve, ensure you focus strictly on the data presented and provide a more balanced comparison of all categories.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is organized into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat mechanical and occasionally repetitive, such as the frequent use of 'It is evident' and 'It is significant'. The transition between the description of 1968 and 2018 is clear, but the internal flow within paragraphs could be improved by using more varied linking words to connect the data points. Referencing is generally clear, though some sentences feel disjointed because they lack a smooth logical progression from one observation to the next.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks the precision and variety required for a higher band. You rely on basic phrasing such as 'maximum expense spent' and 'key factors'. There are also some awkward collocations, such as 'household chores' (which is not a category on the chart) and 'results to appear equal'. To reach a higher band, you should incorporate more precise terminology related to data description, such as 'expenditure', 'proportion', 'fluctuated', or 'remained stable', and avoid repeating the same sentence structures.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors that, while they do not impede communication, are noticeable. For example, '30 percentage of the weekly income was spent in for food' contains redundant prepositions, and 'less that 10 percentage' should be 'less than 10 percent'. Additionally, the phrase 'the maximum expense spent among all other factors' is slightly redundant. You should focus on proofreading for small errors in prepositions and word forms to improve the overall accuracy of your writing.

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