Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

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

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 pie chart compares how families in one country spent their weekly income in 1968 and 2018, measured in percentages.

Overall, it can be seen that Food accounted for the highest figure in 1968, while fuel and power indicated the least in the same year. In the year 2018, people spend their highest percentages of income at Leisure and least figure at personal goods and fuel and power combinedly.

Looking at the chart in more detail, it is eviden that in 1968, people spend 35% of their expenditure for food and this number decreased to approximately 17% in 2018, showed the highest decline. In 1968, housing accounted for 10%, and this figure rose to 19% in the year 2018. Moreover, fuel and power, clothin and footware indicated 6% and 10% in 1968, and decreased to 4% and 5% respectively in 2018. At the same period, household good comprised 7% in both year.

Turning to the remaining data set, we can observe that expenditure at transport and leisure both are increased from 8% and 9% in 1968 to 14% and 22% in the year 2018.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You cover the main comparisons and provide a clear overview: food was the largest category in 1968, while leisure was highest in 2018, and you identify the broad shift away from food. Most figures are accurately reported, including food, housing, fuel and power, clothing, transport and leisure. This meets the task well, with some features more fully described than others. However, the overview’s claim that personal goods and fuel and power were the lowest categories “combined” is unclear; they were tied at 4% in 2018. Household goods is also reported as 7% in both years, whereas the chart shows about 8%. To strengthen the response further, state the key overall changes precisely and check smaller figures against the chart.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a coherent overall arrangement: an introduction, an overview, and two detail paragraphs that group the figures by category. Phrases such as “Looking at the chart in more detail” and “Turning to the remaining data set” help signal progression, and the comparisons are generally easy to follow. However, some linking is mechanical, and the repeated “in 1968” and “in the year 2018” make the account less fluent. The overview’s wording about the lowest figures being “combinedly” also makes the relationship between categories difficult to follow. Use more concise references such as “that figure” or “by contrast,” and organise comparisons so each sentence clearly identifies both the category and the years being compared.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use a suitable range of chart vocabulary, including “accounted for,” “decreased,” “rose,” and “comprised,” and the meaning is generally clear. There are also attempts at more formal reporting language. However, several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or awkward, such as “spend their highest percentages of income at Leisure,” “least figure,” and “expenditure for food.” Spelling errors in “eviden,” “clothin,” and “footware” also reduce accuracy. These issues do not prevent understanding, but they limit precision and naturalness. Prefer standard data-reporting phrases such as “the largest share was allocated to leisure” and check spelling carefully, especially for category labels taken from the chart.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You use both simple and more complex sentence forms, including clauses introduced by “while” and “and,” and the overall meaning remains understandable. Some sentences are controlled, such as the comparison of food spending from 35% to approximately 17%. However, there are several errors in verb forms and sentence construction. For example, “people spend” should be “people spent,” and “both are increased” should be “both increased.” The phrase “At the same period, household good comprised 7% in both year” also has problems with articles and plural agreement. Aim to maintain past tense consistently when describing the two years, and check subject–verb agreement and singular/plural forms. More accurate control of these patterns would make the varied structures more effective.

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