Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-19

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 bar chart shows the information about how families in one country spent their weekly income in 1968 and 2018. Units are measured in percentages.

Overall, it is clear that most of the families spent their weekly income on food, while most of the families spent less on fuel and power.

In 1968, families spent 30% of their weekly income on food, which was the highest figure, however it decreased to 17% in 2018. Families spent 10% of their weekly income on housing in 1968 and it then rose to 18% in 2018. In 1968, families spent around 6% of their weekly income on fuel and power and it then decline to 3% in 2018, which was the lowest figure. Families spent 10% of their weekly income on Clothing and footwear, however it decreased to 5% in 2018.

On the other hand, families spent 7% of their weekly income on household goods in both 1968 and 2018. In 1968, families spent 7% of their weekly income on personal goods and it then took a dip to 3% in 2018. Families spent 7 % of their weekly income on Transport and it rose gradually to 13% in 2018. In 1968, families spent 8% of their weekly income on leisure and it then rose sharply to 22% in 2018.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The student successfully addresses all parts of the task by reporting the main features of weekly family spending in both 1968 and 2018. An overview is provided, highlighting the dominance of food expenditure and the contrast with fuel and power, although the overview could be slightly more comprehensive by mentioning leisure as well. Key data points are generally accurate, such as food decreasing from 35% to 17% (though the student stated 30% initially for 1968, which is slightly inaccurate compared to the 35% chart value), and leisure rising sharply to 22%. The comparisons between the two years are relevant and well-supported with figures, satisfying the requirements for Band 6.5 to 7.0.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The response is organized into logical paragraphs, starting with an introduction, followed by an overview, and two body paragraphs dividing the categories. There is a clear overall progression. Cohesive devices such as 'Overall', 'In 1968', and 'On the other hand' are used effectively to guide the reader through the data. Referencing is generally clear, though paragraphing could be slightly better balanced to group similar trends together. Overall, cohesion is functional and appropriate for an Academic Task 1 response at the Band 7.0 level.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary suitable for describing statistical charts, using terms like 'proportion', 'figure', 'decreased', 'rose sharply', and 'took a dip'. There are some repeated phrase structures ('families spent... of their weekly income on...'), which limits lexical variety. Minor inaccuracies occur, such as misreading the 1968 food percentage as 30% instead of 35%, but word choices generally communicate the intended meaning clearly without impeding the reader, placing this firmly in the Band 6.0 range.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The student uses a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, incorporating relative clauses and coordinate structures (e.g., 'which was the highest figure, however it decreased...'). There are good controls of past and present tenses. However, some minor punctuation issues exist, such as comma splices ('in 1968 and it then decline to 3%', where 'decline' is also a tense error for 'declined'). Despite these occasional errors, communication is not impeded, and the majority of sentences are structured correctly, warranting a Band 6.0.

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

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