Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-08-24

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 displays the percentile spending of families weekly income in a specific country on 8 different catagories in the years 1968 and 2018.

Overall, in 1968 families spent most of their weekly income on food items, while in 2008 maximum amount was spent on leisure. Money spent on household goods remained almost the same in both years, while the least expenses from weekly income were made on fuel and power.

Starting from food, where families spent the maximum share of their weekly income i.e, 35% in 1968 and it significantly dropped to around 17% in 2018. Around 23% of income was being spent on leisure in 2018 which was around mere 9% back in 1968. In the former year, families were spending 10% of the income on clothing and footwear which dropped to half in 2018.

In terms of transportation, nearly 8% of the weekly income was spent in 1968 which rose to slightly less then 15% in 2018. The amount of money spent on housing was 10% in 1968 which also increased significantly to around 19% in 2018.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

You have successfully identified the main trends and provided relevant comparisons between 1968 and 2018. You covered the key categories such as food, leisure, and housing. However, the response is incomplete as it fails to mention all eight categories shown in the chart (e.g., personal goods, household services, and health are missing). To achieve a higher band, ensure you provide a more comprehensive overview of all data points presented, rather than selecting only a few. The overview is clear, but the omission of several categories prevents a fully developed response.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The response is logically organized with a clear introduction, an overview, and body paragraphs focusing on specific trends. You use cohesive devices such as 'Starting from', 'In terms of', and 'In the former year' to guide the reader. However, some transitions feel slightly mechanical, and the paragraphing could be more balanced. The progression of ideas is generally clear, but the lack of a concluding summary or a more integrated comparison between all categories slightly limits the flow. Overall, the structure is coherent and easy to follow.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'significantly dropped', 'maximum share', and 'rose to'. There are some minor errors, such as 'percentile spending' (which should be 'percentage of spending') and 'catagories' (spelling error). You also use 'mere' effectively to highlight the contrast in leisure spending. To improve, try to incorporate more precise collocations and avoid repetitive phrasing. The vocabulary is sufficient to convey your meaning clearly, though it lacks the sophistication required for a higher band.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as 'Starting from food, where families spent...'. There are some grammatical slips, such as 'on 8 different catagories' (should be 'in') and 'slightly less then' (should be 'than'). Additionally, there are minor issues with article usage and prepositions (e.g., 'in 2008' instead of '2018' in the second paragraph). While these errors do not impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score. Focus on proofreading for small errors in comparative structures and prepositions.

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

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