Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-18

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 compares the money that was weekly spent by families in the year 1968 and decades later in 2018.

The highest money that was spent by families every week was majorly on food consisting of 35 percent of the families income, whereas almost half a century later in 2018 the highest expenditure of families was on leisure consisting of about 23% of the families income.

The second highest, expenditure was seen to be on housing both in 1968 as well as 2018, sitting just shy of 11% and 20% respectively, whereas in some categories like fuel and power, clothing and footwear a decline in spending can be observed over the years. Household goods being the only category where a similar spending of about 8% percent can be seen over both in 1968 as well as 2018.

In summary, there has been a huge difference in spending per week by families among different categories, food and leisure coming out at the top two.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The student successfully addresses all parts of the task by reporting the main features and making relevant comparisons between 1968 and 2018. The highest categories for both years are identified correctly (food at 35% in 1968 and leisure at 22% in 2018), and secondary trends such as housing and household goods are also accurately noted. An overview is provided in the concluding paragraph, satisfying the requirements for Academic Task 1. The data is accurately represented overall, earning a solid Band 7.0 for this criterion.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The response is arranged logically into four paragraphs, including an introduction, two body paragraphs detailing specific categories, and a summary overview. Cohesive devices are used adequately to link ideas, such as 'whereas' and 'both in 1968 as well as 2018'. However, referencing and transitions are at times slightly mechanical or repetitive in structure. Paragraphing is used appropriately, resulting in a clear overall progression. This corresponds to a Band 6.5 descriptor profile.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The student demonstrates an adequate vocabulary range for the task, successfully using terms like 'expenditure', 'category', and 'decline'. However, there are some awkward lexical choices and phrasing, such as 'the highest money that was spent' and 'weekly spent', which lack natural collocation. Less common vocabulary is attempted with limited success. Spelling is accurate, but word choice errors place this response firmly in the Band 6.0 category.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The response features a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, such as relative clauses ('that was spent') and comparative structures. While the grammar is generally understandable, there are noticeable structural awkwardnesses and minor errors, such as 'over both in 1968 as well as 2018' and redundant phrasing like 'highest money that was spent'. Punctuation is generally acceptable, though commas are occasionally misplaced. These errors do not impede communication, supporting a Band 6.0 score.

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

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