Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-28

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 illustates the average of money spent by families in one country on eight differents categories in 1968 and 2018. Overall, while spending on food was significantly higher than the others categories in 1968, people were allocate more money on leisure by 2018. In addition, the percentages of money spent on food, fuel and power, clothing and footware, and personal goods higher in 1968, compared with spending on leisure, transport, and housing in 2018, with a similar amount of money allocated for household goods in the both period.

People allocated higher proprtion of their weekly income on food in 1968, at 35%. Spending on housing and clothing and footware ranked second at 10% each in 1968. The percentages of money allocated for leisure, transport, and personal goods were relatively similar, around 8% each, while the figures for fuel and power recorded the lowest percentage at just over 5%.

In contrast, citizens spent more on leisure time, housing, and transport in 2018, the percentages rising to approximately 23%, about 19%, and around 14%, respectively. However, by 2018, the proportions of money spent on personal goods, clothing and footware, and fuel and power had remained low compared with 1968, standing at roughly 5%. In comparison, spending on household goods remained the same at around 8% in both years.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The student successfully covers all parts of the task by selecting and reporting the main features of the chart while making relevant comparisons between 1968 and 2018. The opening overview successfully identifies the major shifts, such as food dominating in 1968 and leisure becoming the top category by 2018. Key data points are accurately cited, such as food at 35% in 1968 and leisure reaching approximately 23% in 2018. Minor spelling variations such as 'footware' and slight inaccuracies in data reading (e.g., leisure is closer to 22%) do not prevent the response from fully addressing the prompt. The information is well-selected, grounded in the visual data, and effectively structured into clear body paragraphs.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response exhibits clear logical organization and progression throughout. Information is divided into logical paragraphs: an introduction with an overview, followed by a body paragraph dedicated to 1968 data and another to 2018 data. Cohesive devices such as 'Overall', 'In addition', 'In contrast', and 'However' are used appropriately to link ideas and guide the reader. Although referencing is mostly clear, there are occasional minor lapses in cohesive flow, such as the awkward transition in the final paragraph starting with 'However, by 2018', where the contrast is not entirely smooth. Nevertheless, paragraphing is used sufficiently and effectively.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully incorporating terms such as 'proportion', 'allocated', 'categories', and 'respectively'. Less common items are attempted with varying success, though there are noticeable spelling errors ('illustates', 'differents', 'footware') and awkward word choices ('people were allocate more money'). While these lexical errors occur, the range is sufficient to convey the intended meaning clearly, preventing the score from falling lower. More precise collocation and improved spelling would be required for a higher band score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing relative clauses and participial phrases (e.g., 'with a similar amount of money allocated for household goods'). However, grammatical control is inconsistent. There are several noticeable errors, such as subject-verb agreement and tense issues ('people were allocate', 'percentages... had remained low', 'the both period'). Punctuation is generally acceptable, and while errors are present, they rarely impede overall communication. A greater proportion of error-free complex sentences is needed to reach the next band.

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