Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-03

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 chart compares the weekly income expenditure of the various families on the different items in the same country. Data collected in the two different years (1968 and 2018).

Overall, families spent most of their income on food, housing, transportation and leisure in both years. Whereas, fuel and power accounted for the lowest portion of the weekly income.

In the 1968, families spent about 35% of their weekly income on food items, but this declined significantly. In 2018, the food items accounted for only 17% portion of the families weekly income. In contrast, the leisure experienced a substantial increase, from 9% in 1968 to about 22% in 2018. Both housing and transport experienced an increasing trend; the housing climbed by 8% in 2018. Likewise, the transportation expenses experienced a considerable surge from 8% to 14%.

However, the household goods remained constant at 8% in both years, 1968 and 2018. Moreover, the personal goods dropped by 4%, the clothing and footware sank by 5%, and fuel expenses experienced a minimal drop of 2% in the 2018.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response covers all key features of the chart, including the main trends and specific comparisons between 1968 and 2018. You successfully identified the significant decline in food expenditure and the notable rise in leisure spending. The overview is clear and highlights the most important shifts. However, the report could be improved by ensuring all data points are accurate; for instance, you mentioned housing climbed by 8%, but the chart shows a rise from 10% to 24%, which is a 14% increase. Precision in data reporting is essential for a higher band. Overall, the task is well-addressed with a logical selection of information.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs. You use cohesive devices such as 'In contrast', 'Likewise', and 'However' to link ideas effectively. The progression of information is generally smooth, moving from general trends to specific category changes. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the overview from the detailed analysis. To reach a higher band, ensure that the transition between sentences is even more fluid and avoid slightly repetitive phrasing when introducing new data points.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate a sufficient range of vocabulary to convey the information clearly, using terms like 'expenditure', 'accounted for', 'substantial increase', and 'considerable surge'. There are some minor issues with word choice, such as 'food items accounted for only 17% portion' (the word 'portion' is redundant here) and 'clothing and footware' (spelling error: 'footwear'). While the vocabulary is adequate for the task, incorporating a slightly wider variety of precise reporting verbs or more sophisticated collocations would enhance the quality of the response.

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 'In the 1968' (incorrect article usage) and 'the food items accounted for only 17% portion of the families weekly income' (missing possessive apostrophe: 'family's'). Additionally, 'the leisure experienced' is slightly unnatural; 'leisure spending' would be more accurate. While these errors do not impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score. Focusing on article usage and subject-verb agreement will help improve your accuracy.

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

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