Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-07

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 chart below provides details about the way families spent their weekly income in one country in 1968 and in 2018. The unit of measurement is a percentage.

Overall, the chart below shows that families spent their maximum amount on food while families spent their least amount of weekly income on fuel and power in 1968 and in 2018.

Firstly, in 1968, families spent about 35% of their weekly income on food and in 2018, this percentage decreased to 18% of their weekly income. In 1968, household consumed nearly 10% of their weekly income on housing and in 2018 this ratio increased to 18%. In 1968 families spent roughly 9% of their weekly salary on leisure and this figure rose to about 23% in 2018. In 1968 families spent around 9% of their weekly salary on transport and this figure increased to 14% in 2018

In contrast, in 1968, families used nearly 6% of their weekly wages on fuel and power and in 2018, this fraction fell to around 4%. In 1968, the families spent about 10% on clothing and footwear and this ratio dropped to 5% in 2018. In 1968, households spent approximately 8% on household goods and this percentage remained the same in 2018. In 1968 households spent around 8% of their weekly income on personal goods and this ratio decreased to nearly 4% in 2018.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You cover all eight spending categories and make relevant comparisons between the two years, including the major fall in food spending and rises in housing, leisure and transport. Most figures are close to the chart. Your overview, however, says food was the largest category in both years and fuel and power the smallest in both; in 2018, leisure (about 22%) was higher than food, and clothing and personal goods (about 4–5%) were lower than fuel. This makes the overview partly inaccurate. Some details are also imprecise, such as describing 1968 housing as nearly 10% rather than about 10% (a reasonable approximation) and calling it “household” spending. To improve, identify the changed rankings accurately and make the overview capture the main shifts, not just the extremes.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall arrangement: an introduction and overview are followed by two paragraphs comparing categories, with the second paragraph introduced by “In contrast.” This makes the information generally easy to follow. However, the repeated sentence openings—“In 1968…” and “this figure/ratio…”—make the progression somewhat mechanical, and the contrast between paragraphs is not always meaningful because both paragraphs report comparisons across the same years. The overview also conflicts with the later data by claiming food remained the largest category in 2018. Grouping the categories by their main trends, and using more varied but precise links, would improve cohesion and make the comparisons feel more deliberately organised.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of task-related vocabulary, including “decreased,” “increased,” “remained the same,” “fraction” and “approximately,” so the main comparisons are communicated clearly. There are also attempts to avoid repetition through alternatives such as “weekly income,” “weekly salary” and “weekly wages.” Some choices are imprecise or unnatural for this chart, however: “maximum amount” and “least amount” are less suitable than “largest/smallest share,” while “weekly salary” and “weekly wages” suggest earnings rather than the chart’s spending measure. “Household consumed” is also an awkward choice for describing a family’s expenditure. Use consistent, precise terms such as “share of weekly income” and “spending on” to strengthen accuracy and collocation.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and more complex sentence forms, including clauses joined with “while” and “and,” and most comparisons remain understandable. Some grammatical errors and awkward constructions persist. For example, “In 1968, household consumed” lacks an article or plural subject, and “families spent their maximum amount on food while families spent their least amount…” repeats the subject and creates an awkward comparison. Several long sentences join multiple facts with “and” without clear punctuation, as in the transport comparison, which reduces control. Aim for more varied sentence structures and check articles, subject forms and punctuation when combining comparisons. These issues do not generally prevent the reader from understanding the data.

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