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 provides data related to families who spent their weekly income in 1968 and 2018.

Overall, the expenditure of families on leisure, transport, and housing increased after five decades. In other cases income spent less than before half a century, with one exception of a household class which remained unchanged.

In 1968, the highest proportion of weekly income was spent on food, with 35%, followed by housing and clothing, each with a 20% share. Additionally, the share of leisure accounted for 9% as compared to transport, personal goods, and household goods with 8% for each category. Fuel and power had the least proportion, around 6%.

In 2018, there was a significant decrease of spent income on food from 35% in 1968 to around 16% after five decades. Moreover, leisure accounted for around 22%, as compared to housing and transport with around 20% and around 15%, respectively. Furthermore, personal goods and fuel had a joint share of around 5% each. At last, clothing had a share of 5%, while the household goods share remained unchanged after fifty years with around 8%.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response covers all key features of the data, including the significant shift in food expenditure and the stability of household goods. The overview is clear and highlights the main trends effectively. However, the analysis is slightly hampered by some inaccuracies in data reporting. For instance, the text states that 'leisure, transport, and housing increased', but the chart shows transport actually decreased from 1968 to 2018. Additionally, the claim that 'income spent less than before' is vague and slightly confusing in its phrasing. Despite these minor inaccuracies, the response successfully identifies the main trends and makes relevant comparisons between the two years.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized into clear paragraphs, with a logical progression from the overview to the specific details of 1968 and 2018. Cohesive devices such as 'Additionally', 'Moreover', and 'Furthermore' are used to link ideas effectively. However, some transitions are slightly mechanical, and the referencing is occasionally imprecise, such as the phrase 'In other cases income spent less than before', which lacks a clear subject. Overall, the paragraphing is appropriate, and the information is presented in a way that is easy for the reader to follow.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing for clear communication. The student uses some topic-specific terms like 'expenditure', 'proportion', and 'share'. However, there are some awkward collocations and word choices, such as 'income spent less than before' (which should refer to expenditure) and 'household class' (which is not the correct term for categories of spending). The range of vocabulary is sufficient to convey the main points, but it lacks the precision and flexibility required for a higher band score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the grammar is generally understandable, there are several persistent errors. For example, 'the share of leisure accounted for 9% as compared to transport... with 8% for each category' is grammatically clunky. There are also issues with preposition usage and article omission, such as 'At last, clothing had a share of 5%'. These errors do not impede communication, but they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score. The student demonstrates a basic control of sentence structure but needs more accuracy in complex constructions.

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

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