Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · 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 6.5)

The bar graph illustrates data on the weekly spending of families in one country in 1968 and 2018.

Overall, it can be seen that the average weekly spending on food and leisure accounted for the largest share in 1968 and 2018, respectively, while fuel and power contributed the lowest share in both years.

In 1968, food contributed the highest proportion of spending at 35%, whereas both housing and clothing & footwear recorded the second largest expenditure at roughly 10%. Personal and household goods, transport, and leisure all showed equal proportions of spending at almost 9% and the spending on fuel & power was the lowest.

In 2018, spending habits regarding leisure increased and recorded as the activity with highest spending at approximately 23%, while the weekly expenses of food and housing were roughly the same at 17-18%. Fuel and personal goods showed a low percentage of spending at almost 4%. Notably, housing's weekly spending was the same in both years at 8%

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response successfully covers the main features of the chart, providing a clear overview and highlighting key trends and comparisons between 1968 and 2018. The student accurately identifies food and leisure as major categories at different periods. However, there are some minor data inaccuracies and contradictions. For instance, the student states that housing and clothing recorded roughly 10% in 1968 (housing was 10%, clothing was 10%), but later claims 'housing's weekly spending was the same in both years at 8%' which contradicts the visual data showing housing at 19% in 2018, and also misquotes the 1968 housing figure previously given as 10%. Despite these minor data lapses, the overall response effectively addresses the prompt.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized into four paragraphs, beginning with a clear introduction, followed by a general overview, and then dedicated body paragraphs for 1968 and 2018 data. Cohesive devices are used reasonably well to link ideas, such as 'whereas', 'overall', and 'notably'. However, paragraphing and logical progression are slightly let down by the contradictory concluding sentence regarding housing expenses. Overall, the arrangement is coherent and easy to follow, meeting the expectations for a Band 6.5 to 7.0 range.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary suitable for an academic task, employing terms such as 'illustrates', 'proportion', 'expenditure', and 'percentage'. There are some successful attempts at less common vocabulary. However, there are minor inaccuracies and slight awkwardness in phrasing, such as 'recorded as the activity with highest spending' instead of 'recorded as the activity with the highest spending'. Vocabulary is generally sufficient to convey meaning clearly without communication being impeded.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

The writer uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, including relative clauses and subordinate clauses (e.g., 'while fuel and power contributed the lowest share'). Control over grammar is generally good with a number of completely error-free sentences. Minor errors do occur, such as the missing article in 'activity with highest spending' and slight awkwardness in verb tense usage or parallel structure ('fuel and personal goods showed a low percentage...'). These errors do not impede communication, placing the response solidly in the Band 6.5 range.

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