Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-08-28

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 6.5)

The bar chart compares the proportion of weekly spending by families in a country in 1968 and 2018.

Overall, it is clear that the amount of money spent per week for food experienced a drastic drop over the period. In contrast, spending on leisure surged sharply in 2018.

In 1968, families tended to spend about 35% of their weekly income on food which was highest in the trend. However, this figure faced a significant drop to around 17% in 2018. Spending on fuel and power, clothing and footwear, and personal goods decreased over the time. For example, fuel and power spending fell from about 7% to 4%.

On the other hand, expenditure on leisure, transport, and housing showed constant growth. The most notable growth was in leisure, which rose from approximately 9% in 1968 to about 23% in 2018. The only category remained unchanged is household goods, which levelled off at around 8%.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response effectively identifies the main trends and makes relevant comparisons between the two years. You have successfully highlighted the most significant changes, such as the decline in food expenditure and the rise in leisure spending. The overview is clear and provides a good summary of the data. To reach a higher band, ensure that all data points mentioned are accurate and that you include more specific data comparisons between categories where possible. For instance, you could have contrasted the growth in housing with the decline in clothing to provide a more comprehensive analysis of the shifting priorities.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, overview, and two body paragraphs. The progression of ideas is easy to follow, and you have used a range of cohesive devices such as 'In contrast', 'However', and 'On the other hand' to link your points effectively. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the declining categories from the growing ones. To improve, ensure that the transition between sentences is always smooth; occasionally, the connection between the specific data points and the broader trend could be tightened to enhance the flow of information.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

You have used a sufficient range of vocabulary to convey the information accurately, including terms like 'proportion', 'expenditure', 'surged', and 'levelled off'. This demonstrates an awareness of academic style. There are no significant errors in word choice that impede communication. To move into the higher bands, try to incorporate more precise collocations or less common lexical items related to data description, such as 'marginal increase' or 'dramatic shift', to demonstrate a more sophisticated control of language.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

The response displays a good mix of simple and complex sentence structures. Most sentences are error-free, and your control of grammar is generally strong. There is a minor error in the final sentence: 'The only category remained unchanged' should be 'The only category that remained unchanged'. Additionally, ensure consistent use of articles and prepositions. Despite these minor slips, your grammatical control is solid, and the meaning is always clear. Continuing to practice complex sentence forms will help you achieve even greater flexibility.

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

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