Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-08-20

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 bar chart illustrates the how families allocated their weekly income across eight categories in one country in 1968 and 2018.

it can be clearly seen that, food was the largest expense in 1968 but fell significantly 2018. in contrast, spending on housing, transport and leisure all rose substantially. the proportion spent on other categories such as clothing and personal goods declined.

in 1968, food accounted approximately 38% of weekly income, far exceeding all other categories. housing and clothing were the next most significant at around 10% each. expenditure on fuel, household goods, personal goods, transport and leisure each ranged between 8% and 10%.

by 2018, the patterns had changed markedly. spending on food dropped to about 18%, while housing became the second largest category at roughly 20%. the most dramatic increase was in leisure, which more than doubled from 9% to 22%. the transport also rose considerably to 14%. conversely, spending on clothing and footwear, fuel and power, household goods and personal goods all sink. personal goods saw the sharpest decline, from 8% to just 4%

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response effectively covers the requirements of the task. You have identified the main trends, such as the significant decline in food expenditure and the rise in leisure and housing costs. The data is well-selected, and comparisons are made between the two years. However, the overview could be slightly more integrated; while you have a clear summary paragraph, ensuring the 'main features' are highlighted with more analytical language would improve the score. You have successfully reported the key changes without listing every single data point, which is the correct approach for this task.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs. The progression of ideas is easy to follow. You use some cohesive devices like 'in contrast', 'conversely', and 'by 2018' to link your points. However, the use of cohesive devices is occasionally mechanical, and some transitions could be smoother. Additionally, there are minor issues with punctuation and capitalization (e.g., starting sentences with lowercase letters), which slightly affects the flow. Overall, the paragraphing is appropriate and the information is presented in a coherent manner.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate a sufficient range of vocabulary to convey the information clearly. Phrases like 'allocated their weekly income', 'accounted for', and 'dramatic increase' are used effectively. There are some minor errors in word choice and form, such as 'all sink' (should be 'all declined' or 'fell') and 'the transport also rose' (the article 'the' is unnecessary here). While you attempt to use some less common vocabulary, the range is somewhat limited. Improving the variety of verbs used to describe trends would help elevate your score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is always clear, there are several grammatical slips, such as missing prepositions ('accounted [for] approximately') and capitalization errors at the start of sentences. There is also a tense inconsistency in the final sentence ('all sink' should be 'all sank' or 'declined'). Despite these errors, the grammar does not impede communication. To reach a higher band, focus on ensuring consistent subject-verb agreement and refining your use of articles and prepositions.

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

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