Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-12

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 horizontal bar chart compares how families in one country spent their weekly income on several things like food, housing ,transport etc. in 1968 and 2018.

Overall, spending on three out of eight categories increased as compared to the past, while spending on four out of eight categories decreased, and in one category expense remained unchanged in both years.

In 1968, food accounted for 35% of weekly income, and in 2018 it decreased and reached around 17%. In 1968, spending on housing was around 10% and on fuel and power around 7% of weekly income. On the other hand, in 2018, housing expenses was around 19% and on fuel and power was around 4%. Clothing and footware made up 10% in 1968 and 5% in 2018.

Household goods reamined unchanged in both years, at around 7%. Personal goods accounted for aroud 7% in 1968 and 4% in 2018. In 1968, the expense of the transport was around 7% and this figure increased in 2018 and reached around 14%. Leisure was responsible 9% in 1968 and increased significantly in 2018 and reaced approximately 22%.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

The response gives a clear overview of the main shifts: food spending fell, housing and leisure rose, and household goods stayed broadly stable. It also reports the key figures for all eight categories, with the values generally matching the chart; small differences such as 7% rather than 8% are within reasonable approximation. This coverage and selection of relevant comparisons make the account effective. However, the overview says three categories increased and four decreased without naming them, so the main pattern is less explicit than it could be. Make the overview more informative by identifying leisure, housing and transport as the increases, and fuel, clothing and personal goods as the other decreases, alongside food.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response is arranged in a sensible sequence: an introduction, an overview, then details for the categories. Grouping several comparisons within paragraphs helps the reader follow the two years, and phrases such as “On the other hand” signal contrast. However, the body moves from food to housing and fuel, then clothing, before switching to the remaining categories, without a clear grouping principle. Some linking is also repetitive, particularly the repeated “In 1968” and “in 2018.” Organise the details into clearer groups—for example, categories that rose or remained stable, followed by those that fell—and use concise references such as “this figure” where the meaning is unmistakable.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The response uses relevant chart vocabulary, including “accounted for,” “made up,” “decreased,” and “increased significantly,” so the main comparisons are understandable. However, the range is limited and some expressions are imprecise or unnatural: “spent … on several things like” is informal, “expense was responsible” is an awkward collocation, and “reached” is repeated for simple changes. There are also noticeable spelling errors, including “footware,” “reamined,” “aroud,” and “reaced.” Use more precise reporting language such as “expenditure on,” “represented,” and “rose to,” and check spelling carefully. These improvements would make the description more accurate and appropriately formal.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

There is a mix of simple and more developed sentence forms, and most comparisons remain clear. For example, “Household goods remained unchanged in both years” is a straightforward, effective structure. Some grammatical errors nevertheless occur: “housing expenses was” has a subject–verb agreement problem, while “in one category expense remained unchanged” is awkwardly constructed. In “Leisure was responsible 9%,” the sentence pattern is incomplete because the percentage needs a suitable preposition or reporting verb. Punctuation and spacing are also inconsistent, as in “housing ,transport.” Aim for accurate agreement and complete comparison structures, such as “housing expenditure was” and “leisure accounted for 9%.”

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