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 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 on household goods was over 7% in 1968 and did not change thereafter. Personal goods also had about 7% in 1968, but in 2018 they declined to over 4%. Transport also had just over 7% like the last two categories 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 successfully addresses all parts of the task by providing a clear overview and highlighting key trends and comparisons between 1968 and 2018. The student identifies the major shifts, such as food dropping significantly from over 35% to 17% and leisure rising from 7% to over 22%. Key features are appropriately selected and reported, supported by accurate figures from the chart, such as housing increasing to just over 19% and fuel and power remaining the lowest categories at 6% and 4% respectively. The overview captures the essence of the visual data effectively by contrasting daily needs in the past with leisure in the modern era. The task is fully covered with well-selected data points, achieving a strong band 7.0 score for this criterion.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The response is logically organized with a clear overall progression. It begins with an introductory sentence, followed by an overview paragraph that outlines main trends, and subsequently groups the body details logically, moving from major categories to smaller ones. Cohesive devices are used adequately, such as 'Overall', 'On the other hand', 'As shown in the graph', and 'In addition', which guide the reader smoothly through the text. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the introduction, overview, and detailed body points. Referencing is generally clear, though paragraphing could be slightly more structured around specific thematic groupings rather than listing individual items sequentially. Overall, the organizational structure is clear and cohesive, fitting the band 7.0 descriptor well.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary suitable for this Task 1 response, employing appropriate terms such as 'proportion', 'percentage', 'decreased dramatically', and 'increased significantly'. There are attempts to use less common vocabulary like 'accounted for' and 'era'. However, some word choices and phrasing are slightly repetitive or basic, such as 'had about 10%' and 'Transport also had just over 7%'. Spelling and word choice are generally accurate, and errors do not impede communication. While the vocabulary is sufficient for the task and allows some precision, it lacks the flexibility and wider range of sophisticated uncommon lexical items required for higher bands, making a band 6.5 appropriate.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The response exhibits a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing relative clauses and comparative structures effectively, such as '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.' Grammatical control is generally good, and punctuation is handled correctly throughout. There are a few minor awkward phrasing issues or slight errors, such as 'the families spent on leisure about 7% of income', but these do not impede communication. The majority of sentences are clear and grammatically sound, displaying a good control of grammar that places this response comfortably at a band 6.5 level.

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