Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-27

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 given bar chart compares weekly spending by families in 1968 and 2018. A variety of spending patterns can be seen.

Overall the food was the dominent category in 1968 where the major portion of their budget was spent, but there was a great decline in this expense in 2018. In contrast to that Leisure increased in 2018 noticeably as compared to 1968. Transport, clothing and footwear also changed with time.

In 1968, food was the largest expense of the budget 35%, but with time it decreased half of its percentage in 2018 which was 17%. While leisure more than doubled in its budget 22%. Housing 19% and transport 14% were almost double in portion in 2018.

On the other hand clothing and footwear decreased about half of their budget in 2018 only 5%. There were also slight changes in the other factors like fuel and power 3%, personal goods showed a small decline. Despite these changes in budgets the only thing remained stable was household goods which was 8%.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You identify the main contrast clearly: food was the largest category in 1968 and fell substantially, while leisure rose and became a major expense in 2018. You also include several relevant figures, such as food at 35% and 17%, leisure at 22%, and household goods remaining at 8%. This covers the task well, with a clear overview and relevant comparisons. Some details are less fully reported, however: fuel and power is given as 3% rather than approximately 4% in 2018, and the 2018 figure for personal goods is omitted. The comparison that housing and transport were “almost double” is also imprecise, since housing rose from 10% to 19%, while transport rose from 8% to 14%. More precise coverage of these smaller categories would strengthen the response further.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall arrangement: an introduction, an overview, and two paragraphs of supporting comparisons. The progression from the main changes to the remaining categories is easy to follow, and linking phrases such as “Overall,” “In contrast,” and “On the other hand” help signal relationships. However, some connections are mechanical or unclear. For example, “While leisure more than doubled in its budget 22%” is not a complete sentence, and “Housing 19% and transport 14% were almost double in portion” compresses several comparisons in a way that is difficult to interpret. The final paragraph also groups fuel, personal goods, and household goods without giving all their figures. Use complete, clearly linked comparison sentences and organise the smaller categories more systematically.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of vocabulary for describing chart data, including “decline,” “increased,” “portion,” and “remained stable.” These choices help communicate the main trends, and the meaning is generally clear. There are, however, some inaccurate or unnatural expressions: “domin ent” is misspelled, “decreased half of its percentage” is an awkward way to describe a fall, and “in its budget” does not collocate naturally with leisure in this context. “The only thing remained stable” is also imprecise for a chart category. Aim for more accurate collocations such as “accounted for,” “fell to,” and “remained unchanged.” Check spelling carefully, particularly in category names, and use consistent terms such as “spending” or “share of weekly income”.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex forms, including contrast clauses and time comparisons, and the main message remains understandable. Some sentences are grammatically controlled, such as “Despite these changes in budgets the only thing remained stable was household goods,” though this construction needs adjustment. Other sentences contain errors that affect clarity: “While leisure more than doubled in its budget 22%” is a fragment, and “food was the largest expense of the budget 35%” lacks a clear grammatical link between the category and its figure. There are also issues with articles and sentence structure in “the major portion of their budget was spent.” Use complete clauses and connect figures with forms such as “Food accounted for 35%.” Vary sentence patterns, but prioritise accurate clause construction and punctuation.

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