Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-08-17

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 6.0)

The chart provides information on how families in one country spent their average weekly income between years 1968 and 2018.

Overall, in1968 food accounted for the largest proportion of income , while in 2018 it declined significantly. In 2018, leisure and housing reported as the highest incomes, that were lower in 1968.

In 1968, 35% of monthly income accounted for food which is clearly the highest proportion among all. Housing and clothing and footwear stood at 10%, while personal goods, household goods and transport all stood at 8%. Fuel and power reported as 7% of total income, and leisure stood at 9%.

In 2018, Food consumption declined to 18%, while leisure slightly increased to 22%. Housing recorded as 19% in 2018, in comparison, transport consumed 14% of weekly income. Weekly expenditure on fuel and power and personal goods declined significantly to 4%, whereas household goods remained stable over the period at 8%. Expenditure on clothing and footware reduced to 5% in 2018.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response covers all key features of the data, including the main trends and specific comparisons between 1968 and 2018. You successfully identified the significant decline in food expenditure and the rise in leisure spending. However, the overview is slightly inaccurate; you mentioned 'leisure and housing reported as the highest incomes', which is confusing as these are expenditure categories, not incomes. Additionally, the prompt asks for weekly spending, but you occasionally refer to 'monthly income' in the body paragraph, which creates a factual inconsistency. To reach a higher band, ensure your overview clearly highlights the most significant shifts without confusing terminology.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is logically organized into an introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs. The progression of ideas is generally clear, moving from the 1968 data to the 2018 data. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat mechanical. For example, the transition 'in comparison' is used, but the connection between sentences could be smoother. Some referencing is slightly unclear, such as the phrase 'that were lower in 1968' in the overview, which lacks a strong antecedent. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring clear reference points would enhance the flow of the response.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'accounted for', 'proportion', and 'expenditure'. There are some minor errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'reported as the highest incomes' instead of 'represented the highest expenditure' and 'footware' (spelling error). While you successfully use some topic-specific vocabulary, the range is somewhat limited. To improve, try to incorporate more precise synonyms for 'increased' or 'decreased' (e.g., 'surged', 'plummeted', 'remained constant') to show greater flexibility and precision in your reporting.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical slips, such as 'between years 1968 and 2018' (missing 'the'), 'in1968' (spacing error), and 'Housing recorded as 19%' (should be 'was recorded as'). While these errors do not impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score. To improve, focus on subject-verb agreement and the correct use of passive voice constructions, which are essential for describing data trends accurately. Ensure you proofread for minor punctuation and spacing errors before finalizing your work.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

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