Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · 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 7.0)

Overview of Spending ShiftsFood was the largest expense in 1968, but leisure and housing took over by 2018.Spending on basic items like food, clothing, and fuel went down over the 50-year period.Spending on lifestyle items like leisure, housing, and transport went up.High-Expense CategoriesFood: Families spent 35% of their weekly income on food in 1968, but this dropped to about 17% in 2018.Leisure: Outlays for leisure activities more than doubled, rising from 9% in 1968 to roughly 22% in 2018 to become the largest category.Housing: Housing costs increased from 10% in 1968 to 19% in 2018.Transport: Transport expenses grew from 8% to 14% of the weekly budget.Stable and Lower-Expense CategoriesHousehold goods: Spending on household goods stayed completely flat at 8% in both years.Clothing and footwear: Outlays dropped by half, falling from 10% down to 5%.Personal goods: Expenditures decreased from 8% to 4%.Fuel and power: Costs saw a minor drop from 6% to 4%.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.5

The student has successfully covered all main features of the chart, providing a clear overview that highlights the shift in spending priorities between 1968 and 2018. Key data points are accurately reported, such as food dropping from 35% to 17% and leisure rising from 9% to 22% to become the largest category. Comparisons are made effectively between the two years, and categories are properly grouped into high-expense, stable, and lower-expense items. The response fully satisfies all requirements of Task 1 for the Academic module, demonstrating a well-selected overview and accurate data extraction without any notable omissions or invented figures.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The response is organized logically using clear headings and bulleted or structured sections that make the information easy to follow. Progression throughout the text is clear, moving naturally from a general overview of spending shifts to specific high-expense and lower-expense categories. Cohesive devices and referencing are managed effectively to guide the reader through the comparisons. Paragraphing or logical sectioning is used sufficiently and appropriately, contributing to a coherent overall arrangement that presents data in an orderly fashion.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

The student demonstrates a sufficient and appropriate range of vocabulary for the task. Phrases such as 'largest expense', 'more than doubled', 'stayed completely flat', and 'outlays dropped by half' show good lexical control and an awareness of collocation suitable for describing statistical data. While some vocabulary is functional and straightforward, it successfully conveys precise meaning. There are no notable spelling or word-choice errors, allowing the reader to comprehend the information without any difficulty.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 7.0

The student exhibits a good variety of sentence structures, mixing simple and complex forms effectively to present comparative data. Examples such as 'Food was the largest expense in 1968, but leisure and housing took over by 2018' and 'Families spent 35% of their weekly income on food in 1968, but this dropped to about 17% in 2018' demonstrate good control of grammar and punctuation. The majority of sentences are error-free, with only very occasional minor slips, which places the writing comfortably in the Band 7 to 8 range for grammatical accuracy.

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