Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · 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 7.0)

The chart illustrates a certain country’s expenditure of weekly income in both 1968 and 2018, a significant gap of 50 years.

While in the past, a family would spend almost one-third of their weekly income on buying foods and a small portion on each of the rest necessities, present data suggests that food expenses have become significantly lower, even less than housing and leisure activities.

Foods costed 35% of a family’s weekly income in 1968 which became almost half, which is around 17%, 50 years later. Similarly, in 2018, clothing and footwear expenses also became the half of 10%, which was the cost of 1968. The same pattern is noticed for personal goods, where the cost of it was 8% of the total expenses in 1968 and became 4% in 2018.

The opposite pattern is showed in housing, transport and leisure cost. The housing cost in 1968 was only 10% which almost doubled in 2018 and became 19%. Transportation cost also increased from 8% in 1968 to 14% in 2018. But the most price hike happened leisure cost. Cost of leisure was only 9% in 1968 which shot high and became 22% in 2018.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

You have successfully identified the main trends and provided a clear overview of the changes between 1968 and 2018. You effectively contrasted the categories that decreased (food, clothing, personal goods) with those that increased (housing, transport, leisure). The data is accurately reported, and the comparisons are relevant. To reach a higher band, ensure you include a more distinct 'overview' paragraph that synthesizes the most significant shifts rather than jumping immediately into specific data points. Additionally, ensure all categories are mentioned; you omitted 'fuel and power' and 'household goods', which are key parts of the dataset.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.5

The response is logically organized, with a clear progression from the introduction to the body paragraphs. You use cohesive devices such as 'while', 'similarly', and 'the opposite pattern' to guide the reader. However, the paragraphing is slightly unbalanced; the second body paragraph is quite dense. Breaking the information into smaller, thematic paragraphs or ensuring a more balanced distribution of ideas would improve the flow. Referencing is generally clear, though some transitions between sentences feel slightly mechanical. Overall, the structure is coherent and easy to follow.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'expenditure', 'necessities', and 'pattern'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation. For example, 'Foods costed' is incorrect (the past tense of 'cost' is 'cost', and 'food' is usually uncountable here). 'The most price hike happened leisure cost' is grammatically awkward and lacks precision. To improve, focus on using more sophisticated reporting verbs and nouns, such as 'expenditure plummeted' or 'witnessed a significant surge', rather than relying on basic verbs like 'became' or 'increased'.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, which is appropriate for this task. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'Foods costed' (incorrect verb form), 'became the half of 10%' (awkward phrasing), and 'The opposite pattern is showed' (passive voice error: should be 'shown'). While these errors are noticeable, they do not impede the overall meaning of your report. To achieve a higher score, work on subject-verb agreement and the correct use of passive voice constructions when describing data trends.

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