Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · 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 7.0)

The provided bar chart compares the average weekly spending on eight categories by families in a country in 1968 and 2018.

Overall, families spent the largest proportion of their weekly income on food in 1968, whereas in 2018, leisure activities accounted for the largest share of their expenditure. While, fuel & power was the least spent category in 1968, personal goods and fuel & power were the joint-smallest items of weekly spending in 2018.

In 1968, 35% of the weekly expenditure accounted for food consumption, the highest figure on the chart, followed by housing and clothing & footware, at 10% each. While leisure represented roughly 9% spending, household, personal goods and transport accounted for 8% each. However, only around 6% made up for fuel and power consumption weekly, making it the lowest figure in that year.

Conversely, families spent the largest share of their weekly income on leisure (24%) in 2018, followed by housing which rose to round 19% approximately, whereas food consumption plummeted to roughly 17%. Moreover, spending on transport increased to around 14%, while clothing and footware expenditure went down to 5% in 2018. Meanwhile, proportion spent on household goods remained at the same position, at 8%. Nevertheless, fuel & power and personal goods decreased to 3%, the lowest share among the categories that year.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.5

The response effectively addresses all parts of the task. You have successfully identified the main trends and provided a clear comparison between the two years. The overview is well-constructed, highlighting the significant shift from food to leisure as the primary expenditure. Key features, such as the decline in food spending and the rise in housing and transport, are accurately reported with supporting data. The information is well-selected, and the comparison between 1968 and 2018 is consistent throughout the report. No significant omissions were noted, and the data is presented clearly.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.5

The response is logically organized with a clear progression of ideas. Each paragraph has a distinct focus, moving from the introduction to the overview, and then to the detailed body paragraphs. Cohesive devices such as 'whereas', 'conversely', 'moreover', and 'nevertheless' are used effectively to link ideas and contrast the two time periods. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the data analysis. The flow of information is smooth, and the referencing is clear, making the report easy to follow.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

You have used a sufficient range of vocabulary to describe trends and data, such as 'accounted for', 'plummeted', 'expenditure', and 'proportion'. The use of vocabulary is generally precise and appropriate for an academic report. There are a few minor issues, such as 'clothing & footware' (spelling: footwear) and slightly awkward phrasing like 'made up for fuel and power consumption'. However, these do not impede communication, and the overall lexical control is strong enough to convey the information accurately and professionally.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 7.0

The response demonstrates a good variety of complex structures, including subordinate clauses and comparative constructions. Most sentences are error-free, and the control over grammar and punctuation is generally high. There are occasional minor slips, such as 'round 19% approximately' (redundant) and 'proportion spent' (missing article 'the'). However, these are non-systematic and do not interfere with the clarity of the report. The majority of the writing is accurate, and the range of structures used is sufficient for a high band score.

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

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