Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-08-29

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 graph shows the information about the weekly expenses of families in a nation from 1968 to 2018.

Firstly, families spent maximum amount of weekly income on food which was 35 percent in 1968 and in 2018, weekly expensed on food declined to nearly18 percent. The difference of 18 percent was seen in 1968 and in 2018 of weekly spending by families on housing. Expenditure on fuel and power were below 7 percent of weekly income during the given period. Average weekly spending by families on clothing and footware was twice in 1968 as compared to 2018 which was around 5 percent.

The amount of weekly expenses on household goods was similar in 1968 and 2018. Families weekly spending on personal goods was around 8 percent of weekly income in 1968 and it decreased by approximately 4 percent in 2018. Average weekly spending by families on transport and leisure was high in 2018 than 1968.

Overall. maximum amount of weekly income was spent on food, clothing and footware and personal goods in 1968, while in 2018 families weekly expenses on housing, transport and leisure was high.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response covers the main features of the chart, identifying key trends such as the decline in food expenditure and the rise in transport and leisure costs. However, the analysis is somewhat mechanical and lacks a clear, integrated overview of the most significant changes. While the data is generally accurate, some comparisons are slightly confusing, such as the statement regarding the 'difference of 18 percent' for housing, which is not clearly explained in relation to the chart. To reach a higher band, you should focus on grouping data more logically to highlight the most striking contrasts rather than listing categories individually.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organised into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the information. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat limited and repetitive. For instance, the transition between sentences often relies on simple structures. The final paragraph, which is intended to be an overview, is punctuated incorrectly as a separate sentence ('Overall. maximum amount...'). Improving the flow between sentences using a wider variety of linking words (e.g., 'conversely', 'in contrast', 'meanwhile') would improve the logical progression of your ideas and make the text feel more cohesive.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'expenditure', 'declined', and 'proportion'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and spelling, such as 'footware' (should be 'footwear') and 'expensed' (should be 'expenditure' or 'spending'). The vocabulary is functional but lacks the precision and variety required for higher bands. To improve, try to avoid repeating the same phrases and incorporate more sophisticated collocations related to data description, such as 'a significant shift' or 'remained relatively stable'.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'maximum amount of weekly income' (missing 'the'), 'weekly expensed on food' (should be 'spending'), and 'was high in 2018 than 1968' (should be 'higher than'). Additionally, there are issues with article usage and prepositional phrases. While these errors do not prevent the reader from understanding the main points, they occur frequently enough to impact the overall fluency of the writing. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and comparative structures will help improve your accuracy.

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

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