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 other categories 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, families spent about 7% of their income on leisure, and the percentage grew sharply to over 22% in 2018.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The student successfully addresses all parts of the task by reporting the main features of the chart and providing relevant comparisons. The overview is clear and identifies the major trends, such as food being the highest expense in 1968 and leisure taking the lead in 2018. The specific data points, such as food dropping from over 35% to 17% and leisure rising from 7% to over 22%, are accurately selected and contrasted. Ideas are well-supported with exact data references from the graph, meeting the criteria for a Band 7.0.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The response features a clear logical organization and progression throughout. Information is grouped reasonably into an introduction, an overview, and detailed body paragraphs. The student uses a variety of cohesive devices such as 'Overall', 'On the other hand', 'As shown in the graph', and 'In addition' to connect ideas smoothly. Paragraphing is used sufficiently and appropriately, allowing the reader to follow the comparisons easily, which aligns well with a Band 7.0 descriptor.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The student demonstrates a sufficient range of vocabulary to allow for flexibility and precision, utilizing terms such as 'proportion', 'percentage', 'decreased dramatically', and 'grew sharply'. There is some attempt to use less common vocabulary like 'accounted for' and 'respectively'. Word choice is generally appropriate, though there are minor instances of repetitive phrasing ('spent their money', 'average weekly spending'). Overall, the lexical range is adequate for a Band 6.5.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

The student exhibits a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing relative clauses and coordinating conjunctions effectively (e.g., 'The given bar chart provides information about how families spent...'). Grammatical control is fairly strong, with many error-free sentences, such as 'Families' average weekly spending on fuel and power was the lowest among the other categories'. While minor punctuation or structural awkwardness occurs occasionally, errors do not impede communication, placing this firmly at a Band 7.0.

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

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