Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-08-27

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 chart illustrates the average weekly spending by families in 1968 and 2018.

Overall, it is evident that food accounted for the highest figure, while fuel and power showed a lower number in 1968. However, leisure registered as a higher expenditure, and personal goods and fuel had the lowest figure in 2018.

Regarding the percentage, food represented a greater number, 35%, in 1986 and dramatically declined to nearly 15% in 2016. Meanwhile, housing stood at 10% in 1986 and rose to about 25% in 2016. leisure was about 10% in 1986 and increased by above 20% in 2016, whereas transport registered approximately 10%, which slightly rose to 15% in 2016, and personal goods were 10% in 1986 and decreased to 5% in 2016.

Turning to the remaining categories, clothing and footware showed 10% in 1986 and 5% in 2016. Furthermore, household goods were about 10% and remained equal in both years. However, families spent the lowest weekly income on fuel and power, which was almost 5% in 1986 and slightly less than 5% in 2016.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response covers the main features of the chart and makes relevant comparisons. However, there is a significant factual error regarding the years: the prompt specifies 1968 and 2018, but the response consistently refers to 1986 and 2016. This inaccuracy impacts the accuracy of the data reporting. While the overview identifies key trends, the misstatement of the years prevents the response from fully meeting the requirements of the task. The data points are generally selected well, but the chronological error is a major oversight.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The response is logically organized into paragraphs, with an introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs. Cohesive devices such as 'Meanwhile', 'Turning to', and 'Furthermore' are used to link ideas. However, the progression of information is slightly mechanical, and the referencing is occasionally repetitive. The paragraphing is appropriate, and the overall structure allows the reader to follow the information easily, despite the factual errors in the content.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is adequate for the task, with some attempts at variety such as 'accounted for', 'registered', and 'expenditure'. However, there are some inaccuracies, such as 'footware' (spelling error) and 'increased by above 20%' (awkward phrasing). The range of vocabulary is sufficient to convey the main points, but it lacks the precision and flexibility required for a higher band. The repetition of '1986' and '2016' throughout the text also limits the lexical variety.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are some grammatical errors, such as 'leisure was about 10%... and increased by above 20%', where the preposition usage is incorrect. Punctuation is generally acceptable, but there are minor slips in capitalization (e.g., 'leisure' at the start of a sentence). While the errors do not impede communication, the range of structures is somewhat limited, and the accuracy is inconsistent.

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

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