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 demonstrates some details about how the weekly income of a family is spent in a specific nation in 1968 and in 2018. Overall, it can be observed that initially most of the income was spent on buying food, while fuel and power had the lowest share. Later, the money spent on food reduced considerably, while the money spent on leisure activities and housing increased by a significant amount. The percentage of income spent on household goods remained the same for both years.

In 1968, the percentage of food spendings were around 35%, but in 2018 these spendings halved by falling to approximately 17%. Along with that, the housing, transport, and leisure sectors became more demanding, thus their proportion in the salary went up. In 1968, the percentage of weekly income spent on housing was 10%, 8% for the transport, and for leisure it was 9%, approximately. In 2018, these figure rose to become 19%, 14%, and 22%, respectively. In addition, there were slight declines in the percentage of income spent in fuel and power, clothing and footware, and personal goods, which were 6%, 10%, and 13% in 1968, respectively. In 2018, all these sectors experienced a reduction in spendings as the fuel and power decreased by around 2%, and the clothing and footware as well as the personal goods share in weekly income declined to 5% and 4%, in that order. Lastly, the money spent on the household goods, which was 8%, remained unchanged in both years.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The response effectively addresses all parts of the task. You have successfully identified the main trends, such as the significant decrease in food expenditure and the rise in leisure and housing costs. The overview is clear and provides a good summary of the data. You have also made relevant comparisons between the two years, such as noting that household goods remained stable. The data is accurately reported, and the key features are highlighted well. To reach a higher band, ensure that all data points are clearly linked to the specific categories mentioned in the chart to avoid any ambiguity.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The response is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a logical progression of ideas. You use a variety of cohesive devices, such as 'Overall', 'In addition', and 'Lastly', which help the reader follow the argument. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the overview from the detailed data analysis. The referencing is generally clear, though some transitions could be slightly more sophisticated to improve the flow between sentences. Overall, the structure is coherent and easy to follow throughout the report.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate a sufficient range of vocabulary to convey information with precision. Phrases like 'reduced considerably', 'remained unchanged', and 'experienced a reduction' are used effectively. However, there are some minor inaccuracies in word choice, such as 'food spendings' (should be 'spending on food') and 'footware' (spelling error: 'footwear'). While you attempt to use less common vocabulary, these occasional errors prevent the response from reaching the highest band. Focusing on more precise collocations will further enhance your lexical range.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. You show good control over grammar, and most sentences are error-free. There are some minor slips, such as 'these figure rose' (should be 'these figures rose') and 'in that order' used slightly awkwardly. Punctuation is generally accurate, and the errors present do not impede communication. To improve, try to incorporate a wider variety of complex structures, such as passive voice or more varied subordinate clauses, to demonstrate greater grammatical flexibility.

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

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