Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-02

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 chart provides the information about how families in one country spent their weekly income on eight different items in 1968 and in 2018.

Overall, families spent the largest amount of their money on food in 1968, while leisure has the biggest expense in 2018. However, families spent least amount of their money on fuel and power in 1968, while personal goods and fuel and power has the smallest expense in 2018.

In 1968, about 35% of weekly income spent on food. This was much higher than housing, clothing and footwear, which were both around 10%. Fuel and power accounted for 6%, while household, personal and transport were each close to 8%. Leisure made up to approximately 9% of income.

In 2018, leisure become the largest expense of weekly income to around 22%, while housing is the second highest expense to around 19%. Food accounted for 17% and transport accounted for 14% respectively. Households goods fell to 7%, while clothing and footwear decreased to around 5%. In contrast, fuel and power and personal goods both were around to 4% approximately.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response covers all key features of the chart, including the main trends and comparisons between 1968 and 2018. You successfully identified the shift in the largest expenditure from food to leisure. However, the overview is slightly repetitive in its structure, and some data points could be more precisely integrated. For instance, stating 'leisure made up to approximately 9%' is a bit vague. To reach a higher band, ensure that the overview highlights the most significant changes more concisely and that all data points are accurately reflected without minor inaccuracies in the reporting of percentages.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The essay is logically organized into clear paragraphs, with an introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs focusing on the two years. The progression of ideas is generally clear. You use some cohesive devices like 'Overall', 'However', and 'In contrast' to link your points. However, the cohesion is sometimes a bit mechanical, and the use of referencing could be more varied. For example, the transition between sentences in the second body paragraph feels slightly repetitive. Improving the variety of linking words would help the flow of the response.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You have an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'expenditure', 'accounted for', and 'decreased'. However, there are some minor inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'leisure has the biggest expense' (should be 'leisure was the biggest expense') and 'leisure become the largest expense' (should be 'leisure became'). While these errors do not impede communication, they prevent the response from reaching a higher band. Using more precise synonyms for 'expense' or 'amount' would enhance the lexical quality of your writing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, particularly with verb tenses and prepositions, such as 'about 35% of weekly income spent on food' (missing 'was') and 'around to 4%' (incorrect preposition). Additionally, 'leisure become' should be 'leisure became'. While these errors are noticeable, they do not significantly hinder the reader's understanding. To improve, focus on subject-verb agreement and ensuring that passive constructions are formed correctly.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.