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 chart illustrates the data on families' weekly spending in 1968 and 2018. Food, housing, fuel and power, clothing and footwear, household goods, personal goods, transport, and leisure are listed on the y-axis of the bar chart, whereas the percentage of weekly income is on the x-axis.

The expense on food declined drastically, making up to 20% in 2018, compared to 35% in 1968. On the other hand, leisure represented almost 22% in 2018, which was substantially lower than in 1968.

Moreover, Transport experienced a notable increase over the years to almost 15 percent in expenditures. However, personal goods dropped slightly in 2018 and exhibited more spending in 1968, around 7-8%.

Household remained steady in this time.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response fails to meet the minimum word count requirement of 150 words, which significantly impacts the ability to fully develop the response. While you have identified some main features, the analysis is incomplete. For instance, you mention 'leisure' decreased, but the data actually shows it increased from 9% to 22%. Furthermore, several categories from the chart are omitted entirely, and the comparisons are underdeveloped. To improve, ensure you cover all categories provided in the data and provide a clear overview that highlights the most significant trends, such as the major shift from food to housing/leisure spending.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is organized into short paragraphs, which helps with readability. However, the progression of ideas is somewhat mechanical. You use basic cohesive devices like 'Moreover' and 'However,' but the connection between sentences could be smoother. The lack of a clear overview or summary paragraph makes the logical flow feel disjointed. To reach a higher band, focus on grouping related information together—for example, grouping categories that increased versus those that decreased—and use a wider variety of linking words to connect your observations more naturally.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, with some attempts at descriptive language such as 'declined drastically' and 'notable increase.' However, there are some inaccuracies; for example, stating that 'leisure represented almost 22% in 2018, which was substantially lower than in 1968' is factually incorrect based on the chart. Additionally, the range of vocabulary is somewhat limited. To improve, try to incorporate more precise terminology for describing trends, such as 'fluctuated,' 'remained stable,' or 'accounted for,' and ensure your data reporting is accurate.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are no major grammatical errors that impede communication, and the punctuation is generally correct. However, the range of structures is limited, and the sentences are somewhat repetitive in their construction. To achieve a higher band, try to vary your sentence beginnings and incorporate more complex grammatical structures, such as relative clauses or participial phrases, to describe the data more fluidly. For example, instead of 'Household remained steady,' you could write, 'Expenditure on household goods remained relatively stable throughout the period.'

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