Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-15

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 bar chart illustrates the proportion of expenditure of families weekly income in one country in 1968 and 2018.

Overall it can be seen that, in 1968 people used to spend most of their income for food, yet in 2018 families prefer to spend their most of the income for leisure. Spending money on household goods remained same during these period.

In 1968, families spent approximately 35%, 8% and 10% of their weekly income for food, personal goods, clothing and footware whereas in 2018 this amount became nearly half at about 17%, 4% and 10% respectively. The figure for fuel and power underwent a fall from about 6% to 4% in these years.

On the other hand, housing and transport cost increased significantly from 10% and 8% in 1968 to nearly 19% and 14% in 2018 respectively. Leisure expenditure faced a huge surge in this 50 years period from about 9% to almost 23%. However, spending weekly income on household goods remained constant at about 8% in 1968 and 2018.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response successfully covers all parts of the task by reporting the main features of the chart and making relevant comparisons between 1968 and 2018. The overview clearly highlights the shift from food to leisure as the primary expenditure. Key data points are accurately cited, such as the drop in food spending from 35% to 17% and the rise in leisure from 9% to 22%. Minor numerical errors occur, such as stating clothing and footwear was 10% in 2018 (when it was actually around 5%), but these do not detract from the overall clarity and success of the task coverage. The response is fully developed and well-supported with relevant data.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The response is logically organised with a clear overall progression. It begins with an introductory sentence, moves to a concise overview paragraph, and then breaks down specific data points into well-structured body sentences. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate general trends from detailed comparisons. Cohesive devices are employed adequately to signal contrasts and transitions, such as 'Overall', 'On the other hand', and 'whereas'. However, referencing and cohesion can occasionally feel slightly mechanical, and minor mechanical issues like missing commas after introductory phrases prevent the score from reaching a higher band.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The student demonstrates a sufficient range of vocabulary to handle the task flexibly and precisely, using appropriate terms related to data reporting such as 'proportion of expenditure', 'underwent a fall', 'increase significantly', and 'huge surge'. Less common lexical items are used with some awareness of style and collocation. However, there are a few word choice and preposition errors, such as 'spend most of their income for food' (instead of 'on food') and an incorrect figure reference for clothing and footwear in 2018. Despite these occasional inaccuracies, the vocabulary is more than adequate to convey the meaning clearly.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, including relative clauses and comparative constructions ('whereas in 2018 this amount became nearly half'). There is a good variety of grammatical forms used throughout the text. While there are some grammatical errors and awkward phrasing—such as 'families in one country spent their weekly income' (preposition misuse with 'for' instead of 'on') and minor article omissions—these errors do not impede communication. The majority of simple sentences are accurate, and complex structures are attempted with a reasonable degree of success.

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