Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · 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 6.5)

The bar chart illustrates changes in the proportion of weekly expenditure by families in a particular country across eight categories, namely food, housing, fuel and power, clothing and footwear, household goods, personal goods, transport, and leisure, between 1968 and 2018.

Overall, it is evident that the figures varied considerably across the categories, with some recording substantially higher figures, while others registered the lowest figure. Food had the highest proportion in the first year, whereas personal goods accounted for the lowest level in the final year.

Looking at the details, in 1968, leisure expenditure stood at approximately 8%, while three categories, namely transport, personal goods, and household goods, represented roughly 7% each in the same year. Furthermore, clothing and footwear and housing expenditure recorded the second-highest figure, at precisely 10% in 1968. Meanwhile, food spending recorded the greatest proportion at exactly 35% in the first year.

Moreover, in 2018, leisure expenditure registered the highest figure, at slightly above 22%.  Similarly, housing recorded the second-largest proportion, at nearly 18% in the final year. In contrast, spending on personal goods and fuel and power remained relatively the same at roughly 4% in 2018.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The student successfully covers all parts of the task by reporting the main features of the chart across multiple categories and making relevant comparisons between 1968 and 2018. The overview successfully captures the main trends, noting that figures varied considerably across categories. Data points are generally accurate and grounded in the visual source, such as food having the highest proportion at 35% in 1968 and leisure reaching 22% in 2018. However, there are some minor inaccuracies in the detailed body paragraphs, such as stating leisure was approximately 8% in 1968 when the chart shows 9%, and misquoting transport, personal goods, and household goods in 1968. Despite these slight data misreadings, the overall response provides a well-developed summary that addresses the prompt effectively.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response is logically organised with a clear overarching progression. It begins with an introductory paragraph paraphrasing the prompt, followed by a concise overview paragraph, and then detailed body paragraphs examining the data. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the two years and overall trends. Cohesive devices are employed reasonably well to link ideas, using phrases such as 'Overall, it is evident', 'Looking at the details', and 'In contrast'. However, some referencing and transitional links feel slightly mechanical or repetitive, such as the frequent use of 'in the first year' and 'in the final year', which holds the score back from a higher band.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The student demonstrates an adequate and generally appropriate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully incorporating topic-specific terminology such as 'proportion of weekly expenditure', 'categories', and 'spending'. Less common lexical items are attempted, including 'substantially', 'accounted for', and 'proportion'. While word choices are mostly accurate, there are occasional minor inaccuracies in collocation and data interpretation, such as 'remained relatively the same at roughly 4% in 2018' when fuel and power dropped from 6% to 4%. Spelling and word formation are accurate throughout, allowing the message to be communicated clearly without strain.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

The writer demonstrates a good mix of simple and complex sentence forms, incorporating relative clauses and participial phrases successfully (e.g., 'namely food, housing, fuel and power...'). Grammatical control is generally strong, with a significant number of error-free sentences, such as 'Food had the highest proportion in the first year, whereas personal goods accounted for the lowest level in the final year.' Punctuation and sentence structures are handled well, and the minor errors present do not impede communication or strain the reader.

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