Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-30

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 gives the information about the weekly spendings of families in 1968 and 2018.

Overall, in 1968 mostly people spend there incomes on food and least on fuel and power. While in 2018 community spend their most portion of incomes on leisure and minimum amount on personal goods.

If we compare the years step by step then in 1968 the maximum figure of salary spend on food which is 35% then on housing around 10%. After that clothing and footware has same percentage of housing and then, household goods, personal goods, transport contain approximately same percentage which is about 7% to 8%.Right after that there is a slight increase in leisure to 9%.Besides this, there is a dramatic fall in the percentage of fuel and power which is around 6% and minimum among all other spending percentages.

On the other hand, in 2018 the income is mostly spend on leisures which has the highest percentage of 23. Moreover, they spend 18% on housing while 16% on food. Furthermore,expenses on transport are14% and household goods contain estimately 8%. After these spendings there is a sudden decrease in figures like fuel and power, personal goods, they just contain 4% of incomes.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response6.0
Coherence and Cohesion6.5
Lexical Resource6.0
Grammatical Range and Accuracy5.5
Overall6.0

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the main contrast accurately: food dominates spending in 1968, while leisure and housing are the largest categories in 2018. The overview also notes the lowest categories, which helps address the task. Most figures are close to the chart, including food at 35%, transport at 14%, and household goods at about 8%. However, there are some inaccuracies: clothing in 1968 is about 10%, not the same as the 7–8% categories, and in 2018 food is about 17% rather than 16%, while leisure is about 22% rather than 23%. The description also gives limited attention to the substantial changes in food, transport, and clothing. More precise comparisons of these shifts would make the report more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall arrangement: an introduction, an overview, and separate descriptions of the two years. This gives the reader a coherent route through the information, and phrases such as “On the other hand” signal the move to 2018. The sequence within each year is generally understandable, although the long 1968 sentence listing several categories makes the comparisons harder to follow. Some linking phrases, including “After that” and “Furthermore,” are used mechanically rather than to show a precise relationship. To strengthen progression, group categories by their size or by whether they rose or fell, and use clearer sentence boundaries and references when comparing the years.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use a reasonable range of task-related vocabulary, including “maximum figure,” “dramatic fall,” “percentage,” and “approximately,” so the main information is usually clear. There are also attempts at less common phrasing, but some choices are inaccurate or unnatural: “weekly spendings,” “spend their incomes,” “leisures,” and “contain approximately same percentage” do not fit the intended meaning well. Spelling errors such as “footware” also reduce accuracy. Prefer standard chart language and consistent terms such as “share,” “accounted for,” and “expenditure.” Avoid forcing synonyms where a simple, precise phrase is more natural; this will improve clarity while retaining an adequate range.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including comparisons introduced by “while” and “on the other hand.” The overall meaning remains understandable, but some grammatical errors recur. For example, “people spend there incomes” has an incorrect verb form and possessive, while “the income is mostly spend” uses the wrong participle. There are also agreement and article problems in “household goods, personal goods, transport contain” and “the maximum figure of salary spend.” Several sentences run together without appropriate spacing or punctuation, particularly around “8%.Right after that” and “Furthermore,expenses.” Check subject–verb agreement, verb forms, and sentence boundaries, then proofread punctuation. More consistently accurate complex sentences would improve control.

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