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)

A glance at the chart provided reveals the expenditure of weekly income of a family in 1968 and in 2018 in the nation.

It is apparent from the information provided that the food was causing the highest expense about 30 percent of salary in 1968, followed by the housing and the clothing and footwear at the astonishing rate of 10 percent. other all expenses cost less than 10 percent of salary.

In 2018, the scenario was quiet different the expenses were dominated by the leisure at the surprising rate of 22 percent. The second most expenditure was done by the family was on the housing about 19 percent, followed by the food at 17 percent -which was one of the dominating the expenses in 1968. However, there was decrease in spending on the personal goods, the fuel and power to a mere 4 percent in both compared to 1968. Moreover, the clothing expense was also reduced to half and household goods retained at 8 percent.

Overall, there was drastic change in the trend of spending weekly income.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

You have successfully identified the main features of the chart and made relevant comparisons between the two years. You highlighted the shift in spending priorities, such as the decline in food expenditure and the rise in leisure spending. However, the response could be improved by providing a more precise overview of the data. For instance, while you mention 'drastic change', specifying the nature of this change (e.g., the shift from essential to non-essential spending) would make the summary more robust. Additionally, ensure all data points are accurate; for example, you mentioned 'clothing and footwear' at 10 percent in 1968, but the chart indicates a slightly different figure. Overall, you covered the key trends well.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The response is logically organized into an introduction, body paragraphs, and a brief conclusion. You use some cohesive devices such as 'followed by', 'however', and 'moreover' to link ideas. However, the flow is occasionally hindered by mechanical phrasing and some awkward transitions. For example, the sentence 'other all expenses cost less than 10 percent of salary' lacks a smooth connection to the previous point. Paragraphing is present, but the body paragraphs could be better balanced to improve the overall progression of information. Using a wider variety of linking words would help the text feel more cohesive and less like a list of observations.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'expenditure', 'dominated', and 'retained'. However, there are instances of imprecise word choice and minor errors, such as 'the food was causing the highest expense' (which is slightly unnatural) and 'the scenario was quiet different' (where 'quite' is misspelled). To reach a higher band, focus on using more precise collocations and avoiding repetitive phrasing. While the vocabulary is sufficient to convey the meaning, it lacks the flexibility and sophistication required for a higher score. Expanding your repertoire of reporting verbs and comparative adjectives would be beneficial.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally affect the clarity of your writing. Examples include 'the second most expenditure was done by the family' (awkward passive construction) and 'there was decrease in spending' (missing article). Punctuation is generally functional, but there are some issues with sentence boundaries and missing articles throughout the text. While these errors do not prevent the reader from understanding your message, they are frequent enough to limit your score. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and the correct use of articles will significantly improve your accuracy.

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