Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-26

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 given bar chart illustrates information regarding how families in one country spent their weekly income in 1968 and in 2018.

Overall, it can be seen that food was the major expense in 1968, while leisure accounted for the largest proportion of weekly income in 2018.

On the one hand, in the year 1968, food accounted for 35% of the weekly income, whereas housing and clothing were similar, with 10% of the weekly income. Moreover, household goods, personal goods and transport accounted equally for 8% of the weekly income. Lastly, leisure accounted for around 9%, and the lowest was fuel and power, with only 6% of weekly income.

On the other hand, in the year 2018, leisure accounted for the most of the weekly income, with 22%. However, housing and food were nearly equal, with a difference of 2%; food accounted for 17% and housing for 19%. Furthermore, fuel and personal goods accounted for an equal amount of 4%, and transport rose to 14% of the weekly income. Lastly, household goods stayed the same throughout the years.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

The student covers all parts of the task well, providing a clear overview and selecting key features and comparisons from the chart. The response accurately notes that food was the major expense in 1968 (35%) and leisure accounted for the largest proportion in 2018 (22%). Relevant figures are cited correctly throughout, such as transport rising to 14% and household goods remaining stable at 8%. The information is fully supported by the visual data without significant omissions or inaccuracies. Ideas are well-selected and presented, meeting the criteria for a solid Band 7.0 performance.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The response has a clear logical organisation and progression throughout. It opens with an introductory statement followed by a concise, effective overview. The body paragraphs are logically divided, contrasting the two years using appropriate transitional phrases such as 'On the one hand' and 'On the other hand'. Cohesive devices are used reasonably well to link ideas, although phrases like 'Moreover' and 'Furthermore' are somewhat mechanical. Paragraphing is used sufficiently and appropriately, contributing to an overall coherent structure.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, with a sufficient range to allow some flexibility and precision ('proportion', 'accounted for', 'expense'). There are attempts to use less common items and varied phrasing, although some expressions are slightly repetitive, such as the frequent repetition of 'accounted for' and 'weekly income'. Word choice and collocations are generally appropriate, and minor errors do not impede communication, placing the response comfortably within the Band 6.0 to 6.5 range.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

The response demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing relative clauses and comparative structures effectively (e.g., 'while leisure accounted for the largest proportion', 'whereas housing and clothing were similar'). There is a good level of grammatical accuracy with several error-free sentences. While punctuation and grammar are generally well controlled, the repetitive reliance on similar sentence frames prevents the grammar score from reaching the higher bands. Errors are minimal and do not cause any difficulty for the reader.

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

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