Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-08-01

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 bar chart illustrate the families weekly spending on different expenses in a country in 1968 and 2018.

Overall, food had the highest amount in 1968, whereas fuel and power had the lowest proportion and others were fluctuating.In 2018, leisure had become the most expensive for families and other facilities were faced up and downs.

Firstly, In 1968 food had the highest proportion of families weekly spending, it stood at 35%. Housing was amounted for 10%, similar with the clothing and footware. Fuel and power had the lower amount than transport as transport stood at 8% and fuel and power at about 6%, Both the household and leisure were at equal proportion which was around 8%.

Secondly, In 2018 leisure had take top ranking with the proportion of approximate 23%, followed by the housing at around 19%, which is slightly higher than food which amounted for around 16%. Transport were amounted for around 14% which was higher than housing (8%). Both fuel and power and personal good had the similar percentage around 4% each and 1% more for the clothing and footware.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response covers the main features of the data and makes relevant comparisons between the two years. You successfully identified the shift from food being the primary expense in 1968 to leisure in 2018. However, the overview is slightly weak; while you mention fluctuations, it would be more effective to highlight the most significant trends, such as the decline in food spending versus the rise in leisure and housing. Additionally, there are some inaccuracies in data reporting, such as stating transport was 14% and housing was 8% in 2018, which contradicts the provided chart. Ensure you double-check the figures against the visual data to improve accuracy.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized into an introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs. You use basic cohesive devices like 'Firstly' and 'Secondly' to guide the reader. However, the progression of ideas within the paragraphs is sometimes mechanical. The use of referencing is occasionally unclear, and some transitions between sentences feel abrupt. To reach a higher band, try to use a wider range of cohesive devices (e.g., 'In contrast,' 'Conversely,' 'Furthermore') and ensure that the links between sentences are more fluid rather than relying on simple list-like structures.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'proportion,' 'expenses,' and 'ranking.' However, there are several instances of awkward phrasing and word choice errors, such as 'faced up and downs' instead of 'experienced fluctuations' and 'housing was amounted for' (a grammatical error that also affects lexical precision). The repetition of 'amounted for' and 'proportion' suggests a limited range. To improve, focus on using more precise collocations and varying your vocabulary to describe trends and data points more naturally.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. However, there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. Examples include subject-verb agreement issues ('The bar chart illustrate,' 'Transport were amounted'), incorrect verb forms ('leisure had take'), and misuse of prepositions. Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with comma usage. While the meaning is generally clear, the frequency of these errors prevents the writing from reaching a higher band. Focusing on basic subject-verb agreement and consistent tense usage (past tense for 1968, present for general facts) will significantly improve your score.

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