Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-16

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 7.0)

The chart provides information about how families in one country spent their weekly income on eight different items in 1968 and in 2018.

Overall, families spent the largest amount of their money on food in 1968, while leisure was the biggest expense in 2018. However, families spent the least amount of their money on fuel and power in 1968, while personal goods and fuel and power had the smallest expense in 2018.

In 1968, about 35% of weekly income was spent on food. This was much higher than housing, clothing and footwear, which were both around 10%. Fuel and power accounted for 6%, while household, personal and transport were each close to 8%. Leisure made up up to approximately 9% of income.

In 2018, leisure became the largest expense of weekly income to around 22%, while housing is the second highest expense at around 19%. Food accounted for 17% and transport accounted for 14% respectively. Household goods fell to 7%, while clothing and footwear decreased to around 5%. In contrast, fuel and power and personal goods both were around 4% approximately.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The student covers all key parts of the prompt well, providing an overview and selecting relevant main features to report and compare. For instance, the transition of leisure becoming the largest expense in 2018 is correctly identified. The data cited, such as food at 35% in 1968 and leisure at 22% in 2018, aligns accurately with the provided visual reference. While some minor categories could have been grouped more succinctly, the response fully addresses the task requirements and presents a clear, well-supported picture of the data without significant omissions. Therefore, it comfortably satisfies the criteria for a Band 7.0.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The response is logically organised into four paragraphs: an introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs dedicated to each year. Information and ideas progress logically throughout the text. Cohesive devices are used effectively, such as 'Overall,' 'However,' and 'In contrast,' which help guide the reader smoothly between contrasting points. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the two time periods. Although some linking phrases could be even more varied, the overall structure exhibits clear progression and logical sequencing, supporting a solid Band 7.0 score.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

The student demonstrates a sufficient range of vocabulary for the task, successfully employing terms like 'proportion,' 'expense,' 'accounted for,' and 'decreased.' There is an attempt to use less common phrasing, such as 'the largest expense of weekly income.' However, there are minor awkward collocations, such as saying leisure became the 'expense of weekly income to around 22%' rather than 'expense, accounting for around 22%,' and a slight repetition of 'expense' and 'amount.' Spelling is accurate throughout, and communication is never impeded, placing the lexical control firmly at Band 6.5.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 7.0

A good mix of simple and complex sentence structures is used to compare the data across both years, including subordinate clauses like 'while leisure was the biggest expense in 2018.' There are frequent error-free sentences, and the grammar and punctuation are generally well-controlled. A few minor inaccuracies occur, such as 'fuel and power and personal goods both were around 4% approximately' (where 'around' and 'approximately' are redundant) and a tense shift issue in 'while housing is the second highest' when the context is entirely past. These minor issues prevent a higher score, but the control remains strong at Band 7.0.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.