Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · 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 7.0)

The bar chart compares the proportions of families weekly household income in one country spent on eight categories in 1968 and 2018.

Overall, spending patterns changed over the 50 year period. Food that had the highest share in 1968 had a drastic fall in 2018, whereas lesuire caputred the major share in 2018. Spending on housing, transport and lesiure increased over the years, the proportions of food, fuel and power, clothing and footware, and personal goods declined. Household goods remains unchanged.

In 1968, families spent 35% of the income on food, more than three times the amount spent on housing, at 10%. Clothing and footware also accounted for 10%, while household goods, personal goods and transport each represented approximately 8%. Leisure made up 9% of expenditure, and only 6% was spent on fuel and power.

By 2018, food expenditure had fallen substantially to 17%, although it remained a significant expense. Housing, meanwhile, increased to 19%, making it the second-largest category. The most notable rise was in leisure spending, which more than doubled from 9% to 22%, becoming the largest proportion of household income. Transport also saw a considerable increase, from 8% to 14%.

In contrast, expenditure on clothing and footwear halved to 5%, while spending on fuel and power and personal goods both fell to 4%. Household goods was the only category that remained stable, at approximately 8% in both years.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The response effectively addresses the task by identifying the main trends and providing relevant comparisons between 1968 and 2018. You successfully highlighted the significant shift in food and leisure spending, as well as the stability of household goods. The overview is clear and captures the essence of the data. To reach a higher band, ensure that all data points are accurate; for instance, you mentioned household goods remained unchanged, but the chart shows a slight fluctuation (from 8% to 7%), and your description of fuel and power as 6% in 1968 is slightly off compared to the visual data. Overall, the report is well-structured and covers all key features.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.5

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs that group the data effectively. Cohesive devices such as 'In contrast,' 'By 2018,' and 'meanwhile' are used appropriately to guide the reader through the comparisons. Paragraphing is used skillfully to separate the two time periods and the specific categories. The progression of ideas is smooth, and the information is presented in a way that is easy to follow. The use of referencing is generally clear, contributing to the overall coherence of the response.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

You demonstrate a good range of vocabulary, using terms like 'proportions,' 'expenditure,' 'substantially,' and 'considerable' to describe the data. There are a few minor spelling errors, such as 'lesuire' (leisure) and 'footware' (footwear), and a slight misuse of 'caputred' (captured). Despite these minor slips, the vocabulary is sufficiently varied and precise enough to convey the intended meaning without difficulty. To improve, ensure consistent proofreading to avoid simple spelling errors, which can detract from the professional tone of an academic report.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 7.0

The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures effectively. Most sentences are error-free, and the grammar is generally accurate. There are a few minor slips, such as 'Food that had the highest share... had a drastic fall' (which is slightly clunky) and 'the proportions of food... declined' (which lacks a conjunction or semicolon to link it to the previous clause). However, these errors are infrequent and do not impede communication. The control over punctuation and sentence variety is good, supporting a clear and readable report.

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