Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-08-18

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 compares the weekly expenditure of the families, for seven different categories, in a country, in 1968 and 2018. Overall, the families spent most of the weekly income on food in 1968 while lthe cost of expenses of the fuel and power was lowest. By contrast, by 2018, the leisure expenditure became dominant and less money spent on personal goods and fuel and power. The proportion of the salary spent for the household goods made up an equal contribution in both the years.

By 1968, the individuals spent 35% of their weekly income for food, followed by housing and clothing and footware at 10% for each. The expenditure for transport and leisure made up roughly an equal contribution at 8%. The expenses for fuel and power were recorded at the lowest by 4%.

Turning to the 2018 data, the highest percentages of the weekly income was spend for the leisure at 22%. Whereas the housing expenses was lying at 18% followed by food at 16% considerably. The money spent on transport was 13% while the three categories: fuel and power, clothing and footware and the personal goods shared an equal proportion 4% by each.

Finally, the families spent 8% of their weekly income on household goods in both the years.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response covers all requirements of the task. You have successfully identified the main trends and made relevant comparisons between the two years. The overview is clear, highlighting the shift from food-dominated spending to leisure-dominated spending. However, there are some minor inaccuracies in data reporting; for instance, you mention housing and clothing were both at 10% in 1968, but the chart shows housing was higher. Additionally, stating that 'the cost of expenses of the fuel and power was lowest' is accurate, but the phrasing is slightly repetitive. Overall, you have provided a good summary of the key features, though more precise data handling would elevate the score.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a brief concluding sentence. You use cohesive devices such as 'By contrast', 'Turning to', and 'Finally' to guide the reader through the data. However, some transitions are slightly mechanical, and the paragraphing could be more balanced. For example, the final paragraph is very short and could have been integrated into the previous body paragraph to improve the flow. Referencing is generally clear, but there is occasional awkwardness in sentence structure that slightly disrupts the progression of ideas.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'expenditure', 'dominant', and 'proportion'. However, there are several instances of awkward word choice and collocation errors, such as 'the cost of expenses of the fuel', 'was lying at 18%', and '4% by each'. These errors do not impede communication, but they highlight a need for more precise usage. To reach a higher band, you should focus on more natural collocations and avoid redundant phrasing like 'cost of expenses'.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with prepositions and verb forms. Examples include 'was spend for the leisure', 'was lying at 18%', and 'the proportion of the salary spent for the household goods'. These errors are noticeable but do not prevent the reader from understanding the data. To improve, pay closer attention to subject-verb agreement and the correct use of passive voice constructions.

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