Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · 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 7.0)

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, the proportion of income spent is lower than it was before half a century, with one exception of a household with the same proportion after fifty years.

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 lowest proportion, around 6%.

In 2018, there was a significant decrease in spending on food from 35% in 1968 to around 16% after five decades. Leisure accounted for around 22%, as compared to housing and transport with around 20% and around 15%, respectively. Personal goods and fuel had a joint share of around 5% each. Clothing had a share of 5%, while the household goods share remained stable after fifty years with around 8%.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

You have successfully identified the main features of the chart and provided a clear overview of the trends. You covered all categories and made relevant comparisons between the two years. The data is accurately reported, and the distinction between the significant decrease in food spending and the rise in leisure is well-highlighted. To reach a higher band, ensure that all comparisons are fully supported by the data; for instance, when mentioning that some categories had a lower proportion, explicitly stating the figures would strengthen the analysis. Overall, the response is well-structured and addresses the prompt effectively.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The response is logically organized, with a clear introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs focusing on the specific years. The progression of ideas is smooth, and you have used cohesive devices such as 'In 1968', 'Additionally', and 'In 2018' to guide the reader. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the data sets. To improve, you could vary your linking phrases slightly more to avoid a repetitive structure, but the current use of cohesive devices is sufficient and does not impede the flow of information.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

You have used a sufficient range of vocabulary to describe the data, such as 'expenditure', 'proportion', 'accounted for', and 'stable'. The terminology is accurate and appropriate for an academic report. There are no significant spelling or word-choice errors. To achieve a higher score, try to incorporate more sophisticated collocations or less common synonyms to describe trends, such as 'a marked decline' instead of 'a significant decrease' or 'remained constant' instead of 'remained stable'. Your current range is adequate for the task.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 7.0

The response demonstrates a good mix of simple and complex sentence structures. Most sentences are error-free, and your control over grammar and punctuation is solid. There are no major errors that impede communication. A minor improvement would be to refine phrasing like 'before half a century' to 'half a century earlier' for better naturalness. The use of comparative structures like 'as compared to' is handled well. Overall, your grammatical control is consistent and supports clear communication throughout the report.

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