Band 7.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-07-29

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 7.5)

The provided horizontal bar graph compares the proportion of average weekly spending by families in a country on eight various categories in 1968 and 2018.

In 1968, food stood at 35%, which was the highest proportion among all. It dramatically decreased to approximately 17% in 2018. Housing as well as clothing and footwear categories were at one-tenth in 1968, while in 2018, housing showed rapid growth to almost double (19%). Leisure recorded nearly 22%, making it the largest expenditure category in 2018, which was at 9% in 1968.

Amount spent on household goods was at around 8% in both years. Regarding personal goods which was at 8% in 1968, after 50 years it became the lowest category and reached under 5%. The expenditure on fuel and power dropped slightly from around 6% in 1968 to 4%, which became the lowest category in 2018. There was a noticeable growth in the figures of transport and it reached 14% in 2018.

Overall, food and leisure were the highest categories in 1968 as well as 2018 respectively. Families spent the same money on household goods in both years. In 2018, clothing and footwear as well as personal goods decreased considerably.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.5

The response effectively addresses the task by identifying and reporting the main features of the data. You have successfully selected key trends, such as the significant decline in food expenditure and the rise in leisure and housing costs. The overview is clear and highlights the most significant shifts between 1968 and 2018. However, the report could be improved by ensuring all comparisons are precise; for instance, stating that food was the highest in 1968 and leisure in 2018 is accurate, but the summary could benefit from a more integrated comparison of the overall shift in spending priorities rather than listing categories sequentially.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.5

The response is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a summary. Paragraphing is used effectively to group related information. Cohesive devices such as 'In 1968', 'while in 2018', and 'Regarding' are used to guide the reader through the data. The progression of ideas is generally smooth, although some transitions between sentences could be more sophisticated to avoid a slightly mechanical feel. Overall, the information is presented in a coherent manner that is easy to follow.

Lexical Resource — Band 7.0

You demonstrate a sufficient range of vocabulary to convey the information clearly. Phrases like 'proportion of average weekly spending', 'dramatically decreased', and 'recorded nearly' are appropriate for a report of this nature. There are some minor inaccuracies, such as 'eight various categories' (which is slightly redundant) and 'figures of transport' (which is a bit awkward). However, the vocabulary is generally precise enough to communicate the trends effectively without impeding understanding. To reach a higher band, try to incorporate more varied collocations related to statistical trends.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 7.5

The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There is good control over grammar, and errors are infrequent and do not impede communication. For example, 'Housing as well as clothing and footwear categories were at one-tenth' is a clear, complex construction. There are occasional minor slips, such as 'food and leisure were the highest categories in 1968 as well as 2018 respectively', where the word 'respectively' is used slightly incorrectly in context. Overall, the grammatical control is strong, and the majority of sentences are error-free.

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