Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-29

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 illustrates the weekly income spending of families in a single country for the year 1968 and 2018.

In the chart which compares different neccessities versus the percentage of weekly income spent on them. We observe that food had a lot of spending across both years with leisure second on the list. Whereas fuel and power have the lowest weekly spending in the list.

Food had 35% of weekly income spending in 1968 and has dropped to 17% in 2018. However, housing spending has increased from 10% earlier has now increased to nearly 25%. Similarly spending on leisure has seen a big increase from 9% earlier to now above 20% and same is the case with transport increasing from 7% to 14% almost double as of 2018.

But, the rest categories saw little to less effect, for example fuel and power only observed a 3% reduction effect on income. People now spend less on personal goods in 2018 and same is the case with clothing and footware. An interesting thing to notice was that spending on household goods has remained the same throughout both years.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The student covers most of the key features of the chart, successfully identifying major categories such as food, housing, and leisure, and noting significant changes over the fifty-year period. However, there are some data inaccuracies and imprecise reporting; for instance, the text states that housing spending increased 'to nearly 25%', whereas the actual chart figure is closer to 19%. Additionally, transport is stated to increase from 7% rather than the actual 8%, and some descriptions lack sufficient precision. Despite these minor discrepancies, an overview is attempted and key trends are generally communicated, fulfilling the requirements for a Band 6.0.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response is arranged into logical paragraphs, starting with an introduction, followed by a body paragraph focusing on major categories, and a final paragraph detailing other trends. However, the cohesion is sometimes awkward or mechanical. For instance, the second sentence is a fragmented clause ('In the chart which compares... We observe that...'), which disrupts the flow. Cohesive devices are used, but referencing is occasionally unclear (e.g., 'same is the case with'). Paragraphing is present and generally appropriate, but logical progression could be smoother. These issues place the response firmly in the Band 6 category.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, allowing the student to communicate basic trends such as 'increased', 'dropped', and 'reduction'. However, there are instances of lexical inaccuracy and awkward phrasing, such as 'weekly income spending', 'clothing and footware' (spelling error), and 'little to less effect'. Attempts at less common vocabulary are limited, and the range is fairly basic. While communication is not impeded, the repetition of simple descriptive terms prevents the response from achieving a higher band. A Band 6.0 is appropriate here.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but control over grammar is inconsistent. There are several grammatical errors and structural flaws, notably a sentence fragment in the second paragraph ('In the chart which compares... We observe that...'). Other errors include awkward prepositions and tense shifts, such as 'has increased from 10% earlier has now increased'. Despite these frequent errors, simple sentences are generally correct, and meaning is rarely obscured. This performance aligns with the Band 5.5 to 6.0 descriptors, comfortably earning a 5.5 due to the noticeable structural issues.

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

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