Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-11-05

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 graph below give details about how families in one particular country spent their weekly income in the years 1968 and 2018.

Overall, the highest percentage of spending in different years is seen in food, Leisure and housing, the lowest spent in fuel and power, and personal goods.

On one hand, in the year 1968 the average weekly spending by the families was mostly in food which was around 35% which reduced significantly to around 17% in the year 2018 which can be seen as the most drastic change in both the years. The second highest spent in the year 1968 can be seen in housing sector around 10% which increased more in the year 2018 around 19%. The third leap can be seen in Leisure activities in both the years, which in the year 1968 was approximately 9% later in the year 2018 increased to around 22% in the year 2018 which became the highest spending of the year 2018.

On the second hand, the least amount of spending in both the years can be seen in fuel and power which was around 6% in the year 1968 which later reduced more around 4% in the year 2018.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the main shifts accurately: food falls from about 35% to 17%, while housing rises from 10% to 19% and leisure from 9% to 22%. You also note that leisure becomes the largest category in 2018. These are relevant comparisons and give the response a clear central focus. However, the overview is not fully accurate: fuel and power is the smallest category in both years, but personal goods is not among the lowest in 1968, and household goods is tied with transport at 8%. Several categories are omitted, including clothing, household goods, personal goods and transport, so the account is less complete than it could be. Include a few more key comparisons and make the overview precise.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure, with an opening, an overview and two body paragraphs, and the main comparisons are generally easy to follow. The progression from food to housing and leisure is sensible. However, the linking phrases “On one hand” and “On the second hand” are not natural for organising chart information, and the second paragraph covers only fuel and power, leaving other smaller categories ungrouped. Some references are also repetitive or unclear, such as “in both the years” and the repeated mention of 2018 in the leisure sentence. Group categories by whether they rose, fell or stayed similar, and use simpler transitions to make the progression more controlled.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of task-related vocabulary, including “percentage,” “reduced significantly,” “increased” and “approximately,” which helps communicate the main trends. There are also attempts at more descriptive phrasing, such as “the most drastic change.” However, some expressions are imprecise or unnatural for a chart report: “the third leap” does not clearly describe leisure’s ranking, and “the second highest spent” is awkward. “The lowest spent” and “housing sector” are also not the most accurate collocations here. Use standard reporting language such as “accounted for,” “the largest share,” “rose” and “the smallest proportion,” and check spelling, including “leisure” and “footwear” if you refer to those categories.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and complex sentences, including clauses with “which” and time comparisons, and the intended meaning is usually clear. Some grammatical errors remain, however. The opening has subject–verb disagreement in “The graph below give,” and “the highest percentage … is seen” does not agree naturally with the plural categories and two years being discussed. The long leisure sentence repeats “in the year 2018” and has an unclear clause structure, while “the average weekly spending by the families was mostly in food” is awkwardly formed. Aim for shorter, controlled comparisons, for example: “Food accounted for 35% in 1968, before falling to 17% in 2018.” This will improve accuracy while retaining sentence variety.

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