Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-19

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 graph illustartes, average weekly spending by families in 1968 and in 2018.

Overall, there are eight different categories such as, beginning from food to ending with leisure on which families spend their weekly spending in 1968 and in 2018.

To begin with, the opposite trend was observed in food and leisure spendings. People in 1968 spent their 35% weekly income on food which eventually decreased to approx 16% in 2018. Whereas, the opposite trend was observed as in 1968, people spend approx 9% of their earning, while in 2018, it increased to aprrox 23%.

Subsequently, household good were stable during both 1968 and 2018, both remained on approx 7% of spending. People spent 6% in 1968, which decreased to 4% in 2018 on fuel and power. Spending on clother and footwear also decreased to 5% from 10% in 2018 from 1968.

Furthermore, spending on housing and transport also increased in 2018. In 1968, people spent 10%, while in 2018, it increased to 19% and in 1968 people spent 8% of earning while in 2018, they spend across 14%.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify several important comparisons accurately: food falls from about 35% to 17%, leisure rises from roughly 9% to 22%, and housing and transport both increase. You also report the declines in fuel and power and clothing, and the broadly stable household-goods figure. This gives the response relevant coverage of the chart. However, the overview mainly says there are eight categories rather than summarising the main pattern. A clearer overview would highlight that food was the largest item in 1968, while leisure was largest in 2018, and that spending shifted towards housing and transport. Some figures are also imprecise: household goods are about 8% in both years, not 7%, and the chart shows clothing at 5% in 2018. Developing the overall picture more fully would strengthen the response.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, an overview, and body paragraphs that group related changes. Sequencing expressions such as “To begin with,” “Subsequently,” and “Furthermore” help signal movement through the categories. However, the overview does not function effectively as a summary, and some links between comparisons are awkward or unclear. For example, “Whereas, the opposite trend was observed as…” repeats the contrast without clearly connecting the food and leisure figures. The final sentence combines housing and transport data in a way that makes the two comparisons harder to follow. Use clearer topic sentences and keep each comparison in a direct, parallel structure; this would make the progression more natural and cohesion less mechanical.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant chart vocabulary, including “decreased,” “increased,” “stable,” “spending,” and “weekly income,” so the main trends are generally understandable. There is some variation in how you describe change, but several word-choice and collocation problems reduce precision. “Families spend their weekly spending” is repetitive and unnatural, while “food and leisure spendings” uses an unsuitable plural form. “Household good” and “clother” are also inaccurate forms, and “earning” is less appropriate than “income” in this context. Spelling slips such as “illustartes” and “aprrox” are noticeable. Aim for accurate, natural phrases such as “the proportion of weekly income spent on…” and check category names carefully; this would make your vocabulary more precise and reliable.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mixture of simple and more complex sentences, including contrast clauses with “while” and “whereas,” and most of the intended comparisons can be understood. Some grammatical errors remain, particularly in verb forms, sentence construction, and agreement. For example, “people spend approx 9%” shifts into the present tense while describing past data, and “in 2018, they spend across 14%” has an unclear verb construction. The sentence beginning “Overall, there are eight different categories…” is also awkwardly structured, and “both remained on approx 7%” uses an unsuitable preposition. Keep past-tense reporting consistent and build comparisons in complete, parallel clauses. Greater control of these patterns would improve accuracy while preserving your attempts at complex sentences.

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