Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-08

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 given figure details information related to average weekly spending by families in one nation between two distinct years: 1968 and 2018.

Overall, it is evident that, families of that nation have expend majority of their income in buying food during 1968; however, in 2018, the expenditure is observed to be more on leisure. Furthermore, over the duration of 50 years, expenses on household goods has remained constant.

In 1968, the people of that one nation had spend 35% of their weekly income on food which was greatly more than other. After 50 years, people are seen to have controlled their expenses however, leisure is shown to have covered nearly 23% of their weekly earnings. Ironically, the cost coverage for household goods seems to remain unchanged at approximately 7% during both years.

Moving on towards housing, the expenditure has increased significantly from 10% in 1968 to almost 20% in 2018. Transport, on the other hand, also rose from around 9% to about 14%. Daily necessities such as fuel and power alongside personal goods were observed to have declined in purchasing preferences in 2018.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response successfully identifies the main trends and makes relevant comparisons between 1968 and 2018. You have highlighted the significant shift from food to leisure and noted the stability of household goods. However, the overview is slightly inaccurate; while food expenditure decreased, it did not become 'leisure' in the way the phrasing suggests, and the claim that families spent the 'majority' (over 50%) on food is factually incorrect based on the 35% figure provided. To reach a higher band, ensure that data interpretation is precise and that the overview captures the most significant changes without over-generalizing.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized into clear paragraphs, with an introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs. Cohesive devices such as 'Furthermore', 'In 1968', and 'Moving on towards' are used effectively to guide the reader. However, some transitions feel slightly mechanical, and the referencing could be smoother. For example, the phrase 'that one nation' is a bit repetitive and awkward. Overall, the progression of ideas is clear, and the paragraphing is appropriate for an Academic Task 1 response.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'expenditure', 'purchasing preferences', and 'significantly'. There are some minor errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'expend majority' (should be 'expended the majority') and 'cost coverage' (which is not the standard term for spending). While you attempt to use more sophisticated language, some phrasing remains slightly unnatural. Expanding your range of synonyms for 'increase' and 'decrease' would help improve the precision of your reporting.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. However, there are several grammatical errors that occur throughout the text, such as 'families... have expend' (should be 'have expended'), 'had spend' (should be 'had spent'), and 'greatly more than other' (should be 'significantly more than others'). While these errors do not impede communication, they are frequent enough to prevent a higher score. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and correct tense usage will significantly improve your accuracy.

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

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