Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-08-31

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 illustrates data about weekly spending of families in one country from 1968 to 2018.

Overall, numerous families spend their income on foods, housing, transport and leisure activities. The least money spent area was fuel and power and personal goods.

In 1968, foods was the highest sector to spend money, standing at 35%, but in 2018, it fell dramatically to below 20%. In housing, only 10% of income was spend, however it almost reached 20% in 2018. Fuel and power had lowest shares standing just above 5% and below 5% in both years respectively. On the other hand clothing and footware had slightly higher percentage compered to fuel and power. In 1968, it was standing at 10% and 5% in 2018.

Household goods goods had the same proportions standing just below 10% in both years. In 1968, around 8% of money was spend on personal goods, but it fell just below 5% in 2018. Transport expense was standing approximately 8% in 1968, but it almost reached 15% in 2018. Another area where most of the money was spend on was Leisure. In 1968 , it was standing around 9% , however it increased considerably to above 20% in 2018.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response covers all key features of the chart and makes relevant comparisons between 1968 and 2018. You successfully identified the major trends, such as the decline in food spending and the rise in leisure and housing costs. However, the overview is slightly weak; it lists categories rather than highlighting the most significant shifts. To improve, ensure the overview captures the 'big picture' trends (e.g., the shift from essential spending to lifestyle-related spending). Some data points, such as the specific percentages for fuel and power, are described clearly, but ensure all comparisons are precise to fully meet the requirements of a higher band.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is logically organized into paragraphs, with a clear introduction, overview, and body paragraphs. You use some cohesive devices like 'In 1968', 'however', and 'on the other hand' to guide the reader. However, the flow between sentences is sometimes mechanical, and the paragraphing could be more balanced. For instance, the second body paragraph is quite dense compared to the first. Using a wider variety of linking words and ensuring that each paragraph has a clear thematic focus would improve the overall progression of your ideas.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'dramatically', 'proportions', and 'considerably'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'foods was the highest sector to spend money' (should be 'food was the largest category of expenditure') and 'footware' (spelling error). Additionally, the repetition of 'standing at' and 'was spend on' limits the sophistication of your writing. To reach a higher band, focus on using more precise nouns and verbs related to data reporting and ensure correct spelling of common terms.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, which is appropriate for this task. However, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with verb forms and passive voice constructions, such as 'income was spend' (should be 'spent') and 'compered' (spelling error). There are also issues with subject-verb agreement and article usage, such as 'foods was' and 'had lowest shares'. While these errors do not prevent the reader from understanding your meaning, they occur frequently enough to impact the overall fluency and accuracy of the response.

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

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