Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-08-02

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 graph depicts the average amount of money spend by families on different categories in the year 1968 and 2018.

Overall, the weekly income spend for food items was by far the highest in both the years as compared to other categories with fuel and power used lowest average salary.

In the year 1968, the food expenses were the maximum with ratio of 40% of salary, while only 7% of income was used for fuel and power. Interestingly cost of housing of housing and clothing plus footwear were the same with the proportions of 10% as well as then proportion of salary acquired by household goods, personal goods and transport was also same which was 8%. Leisure was the sole activity with 9% of expense.

In contrast, the year 2018 has totally different data interpretation. The maximum expense was used for leisure with the ratio of 23% and the lowest again being fuel and power with 4% of total weekly income. The amount spend for housing and food is nearly same with 16% and 18% of ratio. Remaining sectors such as clothing and footwear, personal goods and transports consumed low amount of money where household goods being sole category having same amount of money spend as in 1968 which is 8% of weekly average.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response covers the main features of the chart and makes relevant comparisons between 1968 and 2018. However, there are some inaccuracies in the data reporting. For example, you state that food expenses were the highest in 2018, but the chart shows leisure (23%) and housing (16-18%) figures, and food actually dropped significantly. Additionally, the claim that food was the highest in both years is incorrect for 2018, where leisure is the highest. While you identify key trends, the lack of precision in interpreting the data points limits the score. To improve, ensure that your summary accurately reflects the provided figures rather than making generalisations that contradict the visual data.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The response is logically organised into clear paragraphs, with an introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs. You use some cohesive devices such as 'In contrast' and 'while', which help the flow of information. However, some transitions are slightly mechanical, and the referencing is occasionally unclear, such as the phrase 'the ratio of 40% of salary'. The paragraphing is appropriate, and the progression of ideas is generally easy to follow, though the connection between sentences could be smoother to achieve a higher band.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'depicts', 'proportions', and 'interpretation'. However, there are some word choice errors and awkward collocations, such as 'average weekly income spend' (should be 'spending') and 'ratio of 40% of salary' (a percentage is not a ratio). Some phrasing is repetitive, such as the repeated use of 'amount of money spend'. To reach a higher band, focus on using more precise terminology for data description and ensure correct word forms (e.g., noun vs. verb usage).

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'income spend' instead of 'income spent', 'used lowest average salary' (missing preposition), and 'cost of housing of housing' (repetition). Subject-verb agreement and preposition usage are inconsistent throughout the text. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are frequent enough to prevent a higher score. Focusing on proofreading for basic grammatical accuracy and refining your use of complex structures will help improve your score in this criterion.

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.