Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-03

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 7.0)

The bar charts illustrate the percentage of weekly income spent by families in one country across eight categories in 1968 and 2018.

Overall, it is evident that, househld spending shifted significantly over the 50-years period. In 1968, families spent their largest proportion of income in food, whereas by 2018, higher proportion of expenditure went towards hosuing, leisure, and transport.

In 1968, food was by far the largest single expense, accounting for 35% of weekly income, followed by clothing footwear, at around 10%, fuel and power around 6%, and persoanl goods 8%. By 2018, spending on all four of these categories had declined substantially. Food expenditure dropped approximatyely 17%, while clothing and footwear, fuel and persoanl goods decreased around 5% to 4%.

Conversely, categories related to lifestyle and living arrangement saw a noticeable growth, in housing categories, which comprised roughly 10% of the weekly budgets in 1968, rose bto ceome the highest expenditure in 2018 at nearly 19%. Expenditure on leisure increased dramatically from around 9 % to rank second in 2018 at approximately 22%. Similarly, transport saw an upward trend, raising from 8% to nearly 14%. Hosehold goods reamined unchanged in both years at 8%,

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 8.0

The response covers all parts of the task well, providing a clear and comprehensive overview of the main trends across the two years. Key features are accurately identified and contrasted, such as the dramatic drop in food expenditure from 35% in 1968 to 17% in 2018, and the corresponding rise in housing and leisure costs. The data is accurately reported from the visual source with only very minor numerical slips, such as stating food dropped 'approximately 17%' rather than to 17%. The overall trend of shifting spending habits from basic survival needs toward lifestyle and leisure is well articulated and fully supported by relevant details.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The response demonstrates a clear logical organisation and progression throughout. Information is grouped sensibly into paragraphs, moving from an introductory overview into specific downward trends and then upward trends. Cohesive devices are used adequately to guide the reader through the comparisons, such as 'Conversely', 'In 1968', and 'By 2018'. However, paragraphing could be slightly more refined, and some transitional links feel a bit mechanical. Referencing and progression are generally clear, enabling the reader to follow the argument effortlessly, satisfying the requirements for a well-structured essay.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The writer demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully attempting less common items such as 'expenditure', 'comprised', and 'proportions'. However, there are several spelling errors and word-choice inaccuracies that prevent the score from being higher, including 'househld', 'hosuing', 'persoanl', and 'approximatyely'. Additionally, phrases like 'dropped approximatyely 17%' show slight awkwardness in collocation. While these lexical slips and spelling mistakes do not impede communication, they highlight the need for greater precision and care when utilizing more complex lexical items.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

The essay displays a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, incorporating subordinate clauses and comparative forms effectively. There are some control issues with grammar and punctuation, such as comma splices and minor structural awkwardness in sentences like 'raising from 8% to nearly 14%' (where 'rising' is intended) and 'rose bto ceome'. Despite these errors, they are not overly frequent and rarely impede communication, showcasing solid control that sits comfortably above baseline expectations while incorporating parts of higher-level complexity.

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