Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · 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 6.5)

The given bar chart provides information about how families spent their weekly income in 1968 and in 2018.

Overall, families mostly spent their money on daily needs like food or transport. In the modern era, leisure accounted for the highest percentage of weekly income. On the other hand, food accounted for the largest proportion in the past.

As is shown in the graph, the average weekly spending by families on food was over 35% in 1968, but in 2018 the percentage of spending decreased dramatically to over 17%. Housing had about 10% in 1968 and increased to just over 19% in 2018. Families, average weekly spending on fuel and power was the lowest among the others with just about 6% and 4% in 1968 and 2018, respectively. Clothing and footwear had over 10% in 1968, and decreased to 5% in 2018.

The average weekly spending by families for household goods was over 7% in 1968 and did not change thereafter. Personal goods also had about 7% in 1968, but in 2018 it declined to over 4%. The transport also had just over 7% like the last two models in 1968, and had increased significantly to about 14%. In addition, the families spent on leisure about 7% of income, and the percentage grew sharply to over 22% in 2018.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response covers all key parts of the prompt, successfully identifying main trends and making relevant comparisons between 1968 and 2018. The overview successfully highlights the shift from food being the dominant expense to leisure taking the highest percentage in the modern era. Specific data points, such as the drop in food spending from over 35% to 17% and the rise in leisure from 7% to over 22%, are accurately selected and reported. However, some minor details could have been grouped more effectively to enhance the comparative analysis. Overall, the task is well addressed, satisfying the requirements for a Band 7.0.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The response is logically organized with a clear overall progression. It begins with an introductory paraphrase and a concise overview, followed by detailed body paragraphs. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate different categories of spending. Cohesive devices are used adequately, such as 'Overall', 'On the other hand', and 'respectively', though some transitions feel slightly mechanical or repetitive in structure. Referencing is generally clear, but the logical flow between some individual data sentences could be smoother to reach a higher band.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary suitable for the task, including terms like 'proportion', 'percentage', 'decreased dramatically', and 'increased significantly'. There are attempts to use less common vocabulary, though some phrasing feels slightly unnatural, such as 'like the last two models' when referring to categories on a chart. Word choice is generally clear, and spelling is accurate throughout, ensuring that communication is never impeded. The lexical range is sufficient for a Band 6.5.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

The response demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, incorporating relative clauses and prepositional phrases successfully. There is a good variety of structures used to compare data across the two years. Grammatical control is generally quite good, with numerous error-free sentences, though minor awkwardness occurs, such as 'Families, average weekly spending' where the comma is misplaced. Punctuation is otherwise sound, and errors are rare and do not impede communication, supporting a solid Band 7.0.

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