Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-14

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 chart compares the percentage of family income spent weekly in 8 different categories in the year 1968 and 2018.

Overall, the expense over the year decreased in food, clothing, personal goods and fuel and power with almost double in food , clothing and footwear and personal goods. On the other hand, housing, transport and leisure had an increase in expense with the most significant one being leisure.

Families spent 35% of their total income in Food in 1968 and this number reduced to almost half as only 17% of weekly income went into food in 2018. Over the years the expense behind clothing and footware also halved where it went down from 10% in 1968 to 5% in 2008. In 1968, families spent around 8% of their earnings in personal goods and this number also went down to 4% in 2018. Fuel and power also saw an decrease in expense from 6% in 1968 to 4% in 2018.

Housing cost nearly doubled from 1968 to 2018, the figures showing a jump from 10% to 19%. Transport expense also increased, in 1968 it was around 7% and doubled to 14% in 2018. In 1968 families spent 9% of their income in leisure whereas it jumped to 22% in 2018 which is more than double. The expense on household goods remained the same at 7% over the years.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The student provides a clear overview of the main trends shown in the chart, noting the overall decrease in categories like food and clothing, and the increase in housing, transport, and leisure. Key data points are successfully selected and reported to support comparisons, such as food dropping from 35% to 17% and leisure rising from 9% to 22%. However, there is a minor contradiction in the overview paragraph where the writer mentions expenses decreased 'with almost double in food', which is confusingly phrased. Additionally, the year 2008 is mistakenly cited instead of 2018 in the paragraph discussing clothing. Despite these small slips, all parts of the task are addressed well, earning a solid Band 7.0.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The response is logically organised into four distinct paragraphs, featuring an introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs categorising decreasing and increasing trends respectively. Cohesive devices are used reasonably well, with transition phrases like 'Overall,' 'On the other hand,' and 'In 1968' guiding the reader through the data. Paragraphing is used appropriately to group similar trends together. However, referencing and progression could be smoother, and minor mechanical phrasing occasionally affects the flow of ideas. Overall organisation is clear and logical throughout, warranting a Band 6.5.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary suitable for describing statistical data, correctly using terms such as 'percentage,' 'weekly income,' 'category,' and 'proportionate' equivalents. Less common vocabulary is attempted with varying degrees of success, such as 'significant,' 'earnings,' and 'expense.' There are some minor lexical inaccuracies and awkward collocations, such as writing 'the expense over the year decreased in food' instead of 'expenditure on food decreased,' and a typo in 'footware.' Spelling and word choices generally do not impede communication, placing this response firmly at Band 6.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, frequently utilising comparative structures and subordinate clauses, such as 'Families spent 35% of their total income in Food in 1968 and this number reduced to almost half as only 17%...' Grammatical control is fairly good, but there are some recurring minor errors, such as preposition choice ('spent... in Food' instead of 'on food', 'expense behind clothing' instead of 'on clothing') and a dangling modifier in 'the figures showing a jump'. Nevertheless, these errors are non-systematic and rarely impede communication, supporting a Band 6.5 rating.

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