Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-21

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 illustrates information about how households spent their income every week in 1968 and in 2018 in a nation.

As can be seen from the graph, the families have spent the highest on food in 1968. In contrast, the expenditure fuel and power were the lowest in 1968. In 2018, the weekly income spent on leisure was the highest.

In 1968, the families spent the highest proportion of their income on food which was 35% but the expenditure on food was decreased in 2018 as households only spent 17% weekly. 10% of the income was spent on clothing and footware in 1968 which was decreased to 5% in 2018. The households spent weekly 6% on fuel and power which also saw a decline as it only accounted for 4% in 2018. The personal goods were accounted for 8% of the salary in 1968 which got decreased to 4% in 2018 while the expenditure on household goods were the same for both 1968 and 2018 which was 8%.

The expenditure on housing accounted for 10% of the weekly income which saw a rise as the spending increased to 19% in 2018. Additionally, 8% and 9% were spent on transport and leisure in 1968. Both saw an incline in its spending. The transport was increased to 14% in 2020 and the expenditure on leisure was 22% which was the highest for 2020.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the main contrast: food was the largest category in 1968, while leisure led in 2018, and you report several relevant changes with figures. Most values are accurate, including food, housing, clothing, fuel and power, personal goods, and household goods. However, the final paragraph gives the year as 2020 twice, although the chart compares 1968 and 2018. The overview is also limited: it does not clearly summarise the broader pattern that food, clothing, fuel and personal goods fell, while housing, transport and leisure rose. Some comparisons, such as transport and leisure, are mentioned but not fully developed. A clearer overview and accurate year references would make the key features more complete and precise.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction, a brief overview, and two paragraphs presenting category details. This makes the information easy to follow, and contrast markers such as “In contrast” and “Additionally” help connect points. However, the overview repeats details that are then covered again, and the grouping of categories could be more systematic—for example, placing all declining categories together and all rising or unchanged categories together. Some links are mechanical, particularly the repeated use of “which” and “while.” The reference in “Both saw an incline” is not fully clear, and the final paragraph’s year error interrupts the comparison. More deliberate grouping and clearer referencing would improve progression.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of task-related vocabulary, including “proportion,” “accounted for,” “expenditure,” “decline,” and “rise.” These choices allow you to describe the chart’s main movements, and the meaning is generally clear. However, some collocations are unnatural or imprecise: “spent the highest on food,” “saw an incline in its spending,” and “the transport was increased” do not sound natural in this context. “Footware” is also misspelled; the chart label is “footwear.” Repetition of “spent,” “expenditure,” and “weekly income” limits variety. Aim for precise reporting verbs such as “rose,” “fell,” and “remained stable,” and use natural phrases such as “accounted for” or “was allocated to.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and more complex sentence forms, including clauses with “which” and contrast structures such as “while.” Most sentences communicate the intended comparisons, so grammatical errors rarely prevent understanding. Some agreement and verb-form problems remain: “the expenditure … were the lowest” should use a singular verb, and “the expenditure on household goods were the same” also requires “was.” The phrase “saw a rise as the spending increased” is missing “in” after “rise,” while “the transport was increased” uses an unsuitable passive construction. There are also occasional article and sentence-boundary issues. Continue practising agreement with singular category nouns and use consistent past-tense forms when describing the chart.

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