Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-24

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 chart describes the families spending of their weekly income in one country in 1968 and in 2018.

As illustrated in the chart, in 1968, families spent 35% of their weekly income on the food, 10% on the housing, clothing and footware, an approximately 6% on the fuel and power, 7% on the household and personal goods and transportation while, 8% on the leisure activities.

Whereas, as described in the chart, in 2018, families spent more on leisure activities around 23%. It is observed that they spend 16% on the food, almost 19% on the housing, 3% on the fueling, 5% on the clothing and footware, nearly 8% on the household goods, 4% on the personal goods and 14% on the transportation.

While comparing, it is highlighted that spending on household goods remain same by families in both 1968 and 2018. Weheras, spending on food had been quitely reduced in 2018 when compared to 1968.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The student covers all parts of the task by reporting the main features of the chart for both years and making relevant comparisons. For example, accurate figures are provided for food (35% in 1968 dropping to 17% in 2018) and leisure (rising from 9% to 22%). An effective overview and comparison are also attempted at the end, correctly noting that household goods remained stable while food expenditure declined significantly. However, there are minor data inaccuracies in the second paragraph, where leisure is stated as 'around 23%' instead of 22%, and minor grouping issues with 1968 where several categories are lumped together awkwardly. Overall, the response fulfills the requirements of the task well, earning a Band 6.5.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall arrangement with a logical progression from introduction to body paragraphs and a concluding summary. Paragraphing is used adequately to separate the years and the comparisons. However, cohesion is sometimes mechanical or faulty, such as the awkward transition 'While comparing, it is highlighted that...' and repetitive sentence openings ('As illustrated in the chart', 'Whereas, as described in the chart'). Referencing is generally clear, but the lack of smoother cohesive devices holds the text back from a higher band. Paragraphing and logical flow place this securely at Band 6.0.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, allowing the student to communicate data points effectively. Words such as 'expenditure', 'proportion', or precise verbs are largely substituted by repetitive structures ('families spent', 'it is observed that'). There are also noticeable lexical errors and awkward collocations, such as 'fueling' instead of 'fuel and power' and 'clothing and footware' (spelling error). While less common vocabulary is attempted, the range is somewhat limited and contains errors that occasionally draw attention, justifying a Band 5.5.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The student demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, such as 'As illustrated in the chart, in 1968, families spent...' and 'While comparing, it is highlighted that spending on household goods remain same...'. There are several grammatical errors and awkward structures throughout the response, including subject-verb agreement issues ('spending ... remain same') and spelling/word forms ('footware', 'quitely reduced'). Punctuation is also occasionally intrusive with comma splices. Because errors are frequent in complex structures but communication is not severely impeded, this meets the Band 5.5 criteria.

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