Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-08-22

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 proportion of weekly income spent by households in one country within the time frame of 40 years starting from 1968 to 2018. Units are measured in percentages.

Overall, the proportion of spending money in Food accounted for the highest, whereas in Fuel and Power, Household goods, and Personal goods shows lowest. remaining other such as Housing and Transport and Leisure accounted normal.

In comparison, the proportion of spending money in Food was dramatically lower in 1968 to 35%, from around 18% in 2018. spending income in Leisure, shows significantly increase in 2018 to around 23%, from around 9% in 1968. Moreover, in Housing there were escalated to around 18% in 2018 from 10% in 1968.

There was a major growth in Transport which is around 14% in 2018, from around 8% in 1968, while the proportion of spending money in Household goods are remained same which is around 8% throughout the period.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response covers the main features of the chart and makes relevant comparisons between 1968 and 2018. However, there are some inaccuracies in the data reporting. For instance, you stated that food spending was 'dramatically lower in 1968 to 35%, from around 18% in 2018', which reverses the actual trend shown in the chart. Additionally, the overview is slightly vague, using phrases like 'accounted normal' which does not clearly describe the data trends. To reach a higher band, ensure that data points are accurately transcribed and that the overview highlights the most significant shifts, such as the decline in food expenditure versus the rise in leisure and housing costs.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. You use some cohesive devices such as 'In comparison', 'Moreover', and 'while', which assist in linking ideas. However, the flow is occasionally hindered by awkward phrasing, such as 'remaining other such as Housing and Transport and Leisure accounted normal'. The referencing is sometimes unclear, and the transition between the overview and the body paragraphs could be smoother. Improving the variety of cohesive devices and ensuring that each sentence logically follows the previous one would enhance the overall coherence.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'proportion', 'illustrates', and 'expenditure'. However, there are several instances of imprecise word choice and collocation errors, such as 'spending money in Food' instead of 'expenditure on food' and 'accounted normal'. The phrase 'shows lowest' is grammatically incomplete. To improve, focus on using more precise academic collocations and ensure that nouns and verbs are used in their correct forms. Expanding your vocabulary to include more varied ways to describe trends, such as 'fluctuated' or 'remained stable', would also be beneficial.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. However, there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity, such as 'there were escalated to around 18%' (incorrect passive/active usage) and 'proportion of spending money in Household goods are remained same' (incorrect verb tense and subject-verb agreement). Punctuation is generally functional, but the sentence structure often feels repetitive. To improve, focus on subject-verb agreement and the correct use of passive voice when describing data. Reducing the number of basic errors will significantly improve your score in this criterion.

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