Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

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

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 given chart illustrates information about how families in one country spent their weekly income in 1968 and in 2018. In the Upcoming paragraphs, families' average weekly spending on various items will be discussed.

To begin with, the chart shows that in 1968, people used to spend very little, which is between from 5% to 10% on fuel and power. On the other hand, a significant portion of their weekly income spent on food, which made up 35% of their weekly income. Furthermore, families used to spent more on leisure and transport, but less on household and personal goods.

On the other hand, in 2018, chart depicts that priorities started changing as people started prioritzing leisure over food. For instance, families were spending more on leisure about more than 20% than on food, which made up approximately 17% of their weekly income. Additionally, spending on housing became the second priority of families in 2018, and they used to spend almost 19% of their weekly income. Another noticeable thing in the chart is that spending on fuel and power, and personal goods were the least prioritized things as they made up less than 5% of the weekly income.

Hence, the data on the chart clearly shows on which areas families were spending in 1968 and in 2018.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The student covers the main features of the chart, comparing spending in 1968 and 2018. An overview is attempted in the conclusion, though it lacks specific summary details. Some comparisons are accurate, such as noting that food dropped from 35% to 17% and leisure increased. However, there are minor inaccuracies in data reporting; for instance, stating that families used to spend 'between from 5% to 10% on fuel and power' in 1968 when it was actually 6%, and stating that leisure spending was 'more than 20% than on food' in 2018 (leisure was 22%, food was 17%). Furthermore, the statement 'families used to spent more on leisure and transport, but less on household and personal goods' is slightly confused chronologically. The response addresses the prompt adequately but with some lack of precision.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The text is organized into four paragraphs, including an introduction, body paragraphs, and a concluding sentence. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'To begin with', 'On the other hand', and 'Additionally', although some transitions are repetitive or mechanically applied, particularly the double use of 'On the other hand' in consecutive sentences. Paragraphing is logical, moving from the introduction to the first year, then the second year, and finally a brief conclusion. However, the progression within paragraphs could be smoother, and referencing is occasionally unclear.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting some less common phrases such as 'significant portion', 'priorities started changing', and 'least prioritized things'. However, there are several lexical errors and awkward word choices, including 'prioritzing' (spelling error), 'spent' instead of 'spend' in present/past contexts ('families used to spent'), and repetitive phrasing ('weekly income' is repeated multiple times). While the vocabulary is sufficient to communicate the main points, these inaccuracies restrict the score to a Band 6.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating some control over grammar. However, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with verb forms and tense usage after modal structures, such as 'people used to spend very little, which is between from', 'families used to spent' (incorrect past form after 'used to'), and 'spending on fuel and power, and personal goods were' (subject-verb agreement error with a compound subject). Punctuation is generally acceptable, but the grammatical mistakes cause occasional minor strain for the reader.

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