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)

The bar chart illustrate the average weekly expenditure of families in a specific nation across various categories in 1968 and 2018 .

Overall,spending patterns shifted dramatically over the 50- year period.While food accounted for the largest proportion of household budgets in 1968,leisure and housing became the primary expenditure categories by 2018.

In 1968,food dominated familly budgates,making up 35% of weekly spending.

However ,by 2018,this figure had dropped significantly to around 17%.Conversely ,expenditure on housing experienced a notable increase,rising from 10% in 1968 to approximately 19% in 2018.

Similarly, spending on leisure saw substantial growth ,almost dobling from 9% in 1968 to 225 in 2018 , becoming the highest expenditure category in that year .Transport costs also rose moderately from 8% to roughly 14%.

in contrast,proportions spent on clothing and footware ,fuel and power,and household goods all declined over the period .Clothing expenditure decreased from 10% to 5% ,while fuel and power dropped from 6%to 4%.Household goods saw a minor decrease from 8% to 7%.personal goods remaind the smallest category ,declining slightly from 4% in 1968 to 3% in 2018.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The student covers all key features of the chart well, providing a clear comparison between 1968 and 2018 data. A comprehensive overview is included, correctly noting the shift from food to leisure and housing as primary expenditure areas. Most figures cited, such as food dropping from 35% to 17% and leisure rising to 22%, are accurate. There is a minor typo with '225' instead of 22% in the leisure section, and personal goods data has a slight numerical discrepancy from the raw data, but these do not detract from the overall solid task response. The response successfully satisfies all requirements of Academic Task 1.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The text is logically organised with a clear overall progression. It begins with an introductory statement, followed by a succinct overview paragraph, and then body paragraphs detailing increases and decreases respectively. Cohesive devices such as 'Conversely', 'Similarly', and 'in contrast' are used appropriately to guide the reader through comparisons. Paragraphing is logical and effective. Referencing and progression are clear throughout, placing this response firmly in the Band 7 category.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

The student demonstrates a sufficient range of vocabulary with some attempts at less common items and precise reporting verbs (e.g., 'expenditure', 'proportion', 'dominated', 'fluctuated'). There are occasional lexical and typographical errors, such as 'familly budgates' (family budgets), 'dobling' (doubling), and 'remaind' (remained), alongside spacing errors around punctuation marks. Despite these flaws, the vocabulary is adequate to convey the intended meaning flexibly and precisely, aligning with Band 6.5 or a solid Band 6 performance.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

The response features a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, using participial phrases and subordinate clauses effectively (e.g., 'rising from 10% in 1968 to approximately 19% in 2018'). Grammatical control is generally good, though there are punctuation and spacing issues (e.g., missing spaces after commas, a lowercase 'in contrast' at the start of a sentence). Errors do not impede communication, and the majority of simple and complex structures are accurate, supporting a Band 6.5 score.

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.