Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-07-28

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)

This bar graph illustrates the weekly spending of families in a country in the years 1968, denoted by black bar, and 2018 represented by grey bar.

Overall, the maximum percentage of income is spent on food in 1968, which is 35% of the total income, while in 2018 people spent mostly on leisure, which is around 23% of their income.

Spending on housing has changed by by great deal as families are spending around 19% on it in 2018 as compared to mere 10% in 1968. However, the percentage of income spent on household goods remains the same as 8% in both the years.

Other items like fuel and power, personal goods, and transport have not seen much fluctuations in both the years. On food items, spending has drastically decreased from 35% in 1968 to almost 18% in 2018. On clothing and footware,, spending was 10% in 1968, which is reduced to 5% in 2018.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The response successfully identifies the main features of the chart, such as the shift in spending from food to leisure and the significant increase in housing costs. It provides a clear overview and supports the main points with relevant data from the graph. However, the report could be improved by grouping the categories more logically (e.g., those that increased, decreased, and remained stable) rather than listing them in a somewhat disjointed manner. While all key trends are covered, the analysis lacks a slightly more sophisticated synthesis of the data to reach the highest band, but it remains a solid, accurate summary of the provided information.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The response is logically organized with a clear introduction and an overview. Paragraphing is used, though the body paragraphs could be better structured to improve the flow of information. Cohesive devices are present, such as 'while', 'however', and 'as compared to', which help connect ideas. However, some transitions feel a bit mechanical, and the progression between sentences could be smoother. The use of referencing is generally clear, but the overall structure would benefit from more sophisticated linking phrases to guide the reader through the comparisons more effectively.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task, allowing for clear communication of the data. You have used some appropriate terms like 'fluctuations' and 'drastically decreased'. However, there are some minor errors in word choice and spelling, such as 'footware' (footwear) and the repetitive use of 'income' and 'spending'. To reach a higher band, you should aim to incorporate a wider range of synonyms and more precise collocations to describe trends, such as 'expenditure' instead of repeating 'spending' and 'remained constant' instead of 'remains the same'.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are some grammatical errors, such as 'by by great deal' and 'in both the years', which slightly detract from the fluency. Punctuation is generally functional, though there is a double comma error in 'footware,,'. While the errors do not impede communication, the range of complex structures is somewhat limited. To improve, focus on ensuring subject-verb agreement and refining the use of prepositions when describing statistical changes.

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