Band 8.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 8.0 · 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 8.0)

The bar chart illustrates the weekly expenditure of families in one country between 1968 and 2018.

Overall, residents spent a large proportion of their income on food, housing, transport and leisure while the expenses on fuel, clothing, household items and personal goods remained relatively low.

In 1968, the general public utilized 35% of their weekly income on food before reducing it to almost half at 17% in 2018. They contributed 10% to housing in 1968 but expanded the amount to 19% in 2018. The fuel and power stayed quite minimal at 7% and 4% in 1968 and 2018, respectively. Their clothing and footware expense was 10% in 1968 but later fell to 5% in 2018.

Furthermore, citizens contributed 8% to household items in both 1968 and 2018. They allocated 8% for personal goods in 1968 before finally reducing it to only 4% in 2018. Their transport expenses were 8% in 1968 but finally escalated to 14% in 2018. They contributed only 9% to leisure in 1968 but soared it to 22% in 2018.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 8.0

The response effectively covers all requirements of the task. You have identified the main trends and provided a clear overview of the changes in spending habits between 1968 and 2018. The data is accurately reported, and you have made relevant comparisons, such as the significant shift in expenditure on food and leisure. The information is well-selected to highlight the most important features of the chart. To reach a higher band, ensure that the overview is more integrated with the data, perhaps by highlighting the most dramatic shift (leisure) more explicitly in the introduction or summary.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 8.0

The response is logically organized with a clear progression of ideas. You have used paragraphing effectively to separate the overview from the detailed data points. Cohesive devices such as 'Furthermore', 'in addition', and 'respectively' are used appropriately to link sentences and ideas. The flow is smooth, and the information is easy to follow. To improve, you could use a wider variety of linking phrases to avoid a slightly repetitive structure when listing the percentages for each category.

Lexical Resource — Band 7.5

You have used a sufficient range of vocabulary to describe the data, including terms like 'expenditure', 'allocated', 'escalated', and 'soared'. These words are used accurately and demonstrate a good level of precision. There is a minor spelling error ('footware' should be 'footwear'), but this does not impede communication. To achieve a higher band, try to incorporate more sophisticated collocations or synonyms to describe trends, such as 'a marginal decrease' or 'a substantial surge', rather than relying on basic verbs.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 7.5

The response displays a good control of grammatical structures. You have successfully used a mix of simple and complex sentences. Most sentences are error-free, and the punctuation is generally accurate. There are a few minor issues, such as 'soared it to 22%', where the verb 'soar' is intransitive and should not take an object. Despite this, your control over tense and sentence structure is strong, and the meaning is always clear. Continued practice with complex sentence structures will help you reach the next level.

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