Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-15

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 compares the amount of earning spent on various activities by citizens in one country in 1968 and 2018.

Overall, the food expenditure remians most significant throughout the years while leisure records for second highest share across the period. Fuel and power accounted for the lowest expenditure over the years whereas, household good remains contant.

In 1968, almost 35% of individuals spent money on variety of cuisines but it showed a dramatic decrease increase in 2018 and reached 18%. While housing showed a gradual increase it jump up from 10% to 19% by 2018. Leisure experianced a sharp boost from 7% to 23% and accounted for highest share in 2018.

Regarding the remaining data, fuel and power faced a steadily decrease while the amount of income spent on daily use itmes remain unchanged in both years.

Transport had also showed a gradually increase from 7% to 18% by 2018.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify several important patterns, including the fall in food spending, the rise in housing and leisure, and the stability of household goods. The overview also recognises that leisure becomes the largest category in 2018. However, some comparisons are inaccurate: leisure rises from about 9% to 22%, not 7% to 23%, and transport increases from 8% to 14%, rather than 7% to 18%. The claim that food remains the most significant throughout is incorrect, since leisure is highest in 2018. Fuel and power is the smallest category in 2018, but not in 1968. The response covers the task and selects relevant features, though these inaccuracies and the limited detail on several categories leave parts less fully reported.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction, an overview, and two paragraphs of details. The sequence from the main categories to the remaining figures is generally easy to follow, and phrases such as “Overall,” “In 1968,” and “Regarding the remaining data” help signal progression. However, some linking is awkward or unclear. The sentence beginning “In 1968” combines food and housing without a clear transition, while “While housing showed a gradual increase it jump up” creates a confusing relationship between the ideas. The final paragraph also groups fuel, household goods, and transport without giving all their figures. Use more precise links and organise comparisons by clear trends to make the progression smoother.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a reasonable range of task-related vocabulary, including “expenditure,” “accounted for,” “sharp boost,” and “gradual increase,” and the meaning is generally understandable. However, several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or unnatural: “amount of earning spent” should refer to the share of weekly income spent, and “food expenditure remains most significant” is imprecise for a chart category. There are also spelling errors such as “remians,” “experianced,” “contant,” and “itmes,” alongside awkward phrases such as “variety of cuisines” for spending on food. These errors make the description less precise. Aim for accurate chart language and check spelling and word forms carefully.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including clauses introduced by “while” and “whereas,” and the main message can usually be followed. Some grammatical errors remain, however. For example, “food expenditure remians most significant” has an incorrect verb form, and “household good remains contant” has a number-agreement problem. In “While housing showed a gradual increase it jump up,” the verb form is incorrect and the clause needs clearer punctuation. The sentence “the amount of income spent on daily use itmes remain unchanged” also has subject–verb agreement errors. To improve, check tense consistency when describing past data, ensure singular and plural subjects agree with their verbs, and punctuate introductory clauses with commas.

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