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 illustrates the proportion of how families in one nation spent their weekly salary on various categories in the year 1968 and in 2018.

Overall, it can be seen from the graph that food registered the uppermost choice in 1968 whereas leisure accounted the significant fraction in 2018.

A closer examination of the figures reveals that the money expended on housing was 10 % in 1968 but in the year 2018 it percentage gradually climbed to almost a fifth. Furthermore , the income allocated for fuel or power was high in 1968 by 7% while in 2018 it shown decreased the use to 4%.

Regarding the remaining categories like transport ,it was 8% in 1968 whereas it directly soar by 6% in 2018. Moreover, earnings spent on household remained constant in both the year by 7% . Additionally, the wages used in leisure was low in 1968 by 9% but after 50 years its fraction escalated to 22% .

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify two important overall features: food was the largest category in 1968, while leisure was largest in 2018. You also make relevant comparisons for housing, fuel and power, transport, household goods and leisure. However, coverage is uneven: clothing and footwear and personal goods are omitted, and the overview does not summarise the broader shift from food towards leisure, housing and transport. Some figures are inaccurate or unclear: fuel and power is given as 7% in 1968 rather than about 6%, and household goods is described as 7% in both years rather than about 8%. Transport rose from 8% to 14%, so “soar by 6%” should be expressed more precisely. Selecting the main changes and reporting them accurately would strengthen the response.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall arrangement: an introduction, an overview and two paragraphs of supporting comparisons. This gives the reader a sensible route through the information, and linking expressions such as “Overall,” “Furthermore” and “Additionally” help signal relationships. The organisation is not fully effective, however, because the final paragraph groups several categories without a clear principle, while clothing and footwear and personal goods are left out. Some transitions also feel mechanical, and punctuation around phrases such as “transport, it was” interrupts the flow. Grouping categories by their main pattern—for example, those that rose and those that fell or remained stable—and using clearer sentence links would make progression more consistent.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a reasonable range of task-related vocabulary, including “proportion,” “allocated,” “fraction” and “escalated,” and the meaning is generally understandable. However, several choices are unnatural or imprecise for describing chart data: “weekly salary,” “uppermost choice,” “accounted the significant fraction” and “directly soar” do not fit the intended meanings well. There are also spelling and form issues, including “footware” in the task wording if repeated, and “its percentage” where a more natural phrase is needed. Aim for accurate, conventional collocations such as “accounted for,” “share of weekly income,” “rose” and “remained stable.” This would make the vocabulary more precise and controlled.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including contrasts with “whereas” and clauses introduced by “that.” Most of the comparisons remain understandable, but some grammatical errors reduce accuracy. For example, “it percentage gradually climbed” needs a possessive form and a clearer subject, while “in 2018 it shown decreased the use” has an incorrect verb construction. In “leisure accounted the significant fraction,” the article and preposition pattern are faulty. There are also punctuation and spacing problems around commas and before “Furthermore.” Practise building accurate comparison structures, such as “the figure for housing rose from 10% to 19%,” and check verb forms and articles when editing.

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