Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-26

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 proportion families in one country spent their weekly income in years, 1968 and 2018.

Overall, families spent on an average highest on food and lowest on fuel and power , with striking gap of 33% in 1968 and 10% in 2018 between them. It exceeded 15% in three fields in two years below 15% is remaining fields.

Further, food leading the field in 1968 at 35% , but decline in 2018 to three with 17% , followed by housing and transport ,which recorded 10% in 1968 and surge to 19% in 2018 . leisure lead in 2018 with 22% , but in initial year it was at 9% .

By contrast , some field had show smallest figure like, clothing and footware was at 10% in 1968 and further decline to 5 percentage in 2018 ,followed by household goods and personal goods , which recorded 7% of both respectively in 1968 .In 2018 household again record 7% and personal goods record 4%. The last field with lowest field was fuel and power with 6% in 1968 and 4% in 2018 , which was two fold less than food in 1968 .

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify several important patterns, including the sharp fall in food spending (35% to 17%), the rise in housing and transport, and leisure becoming the largest category in 2018. The overview also attempts to compare the overall extremes. However, some details are inaccurate or unclear: fuel and power was not the lowest category in 1968, since several categories were at 8% and leisure was 9%; the stated 33% and 10% gaps are therefore not supported. Household goods was 8% in both years, not 7%, and the phrase “decline in 2018 to three” does not clearly report the 17% figure. To strengthen the response, give a precise overview and check each selected figure against the chart. (Nine words copied from the task prompt were not counted.)

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and two paragraphs comparing groups of categories. Linking expressions such as “Overall,” “Further,” and “By contrast” help signal the direction of the discussion. However, progression is sometimes difficult to follow because several comparisons are crowded into long sentences, and the grouping of categories is not always clear. For example, “followed by housing and transport” does not distinguish their separate 1968 and 2018 values, while the final paragraph moves between clothing, household goods, personal goods, and fuel without a consistent comparison pattern. Organise the details into clear groups, such as categories that rose and those that fell or remained stable, and use references that make each comparison explicit.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use a reasonable range of chart-related vocabulary, including “proportion,” “decline,” “surge,” “recorded,” and “striking gap.” These choices show an attempt to describe changes rather than simply list figures. Some word choices and collocations are inaccurate or awkward, however: “spent on an average highest” and “decline … to three” make the intended meaning unclear, while “the last field with lowest field” is repetitive. There are also spelling errors in “footware” and “leisure lead.” Aim for precise, natural phrases such as “accounted for the largest share,” “fell to 17%,” and “the smallest proportion.” Check spelling and avoid using “field” repeatedly when “category” is more suitable.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including clauses joined with “but” and “which,” and the main comparisons can generally be understood. Some grammatical errors remain, particularly with articles, agreement, verb forms, and sentence construction. For example, “The bar chart compares the proportion families” needs “the proportion of income families spent,” and “some field had show” has an incorrect noun form and verb construction. In “food leading the field … but decline,” the clauses lack consistent finite verbs; “food led … but declined” would be clearer. Punctuation spacing is also inconsistent. Practise building complete sentences with a clear subject and verb, and check agreement and tense in each clause.

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