Family Weekly Spending in 1968 and 2018

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.

Cambridge IELTS 17 Academic Test 3 Writing Task 1 visual

Annotated response

8 correction notes

The provided bar chart illustrates the weekly expenditures of families in a country .

Overall, it is evident that while food consumption dominated , witnessed an increased focus on leisure activities and housing.

In 1968, families allocated around 35% of their weekly income towards food expenditures. However, by 2018, this percentage had significantly decreased to . , spending on housing and clothing accounted for 10%, while expenditures on fuel amounted to just over 5% of their weekly earnings.

In contrast, leisure activities emerged as the primary spending category for families in 2018, constituting approximately 22% of their weekly wages. Housing followed closely as the second priority, with families dedicating nearly 20% of their income to accommodation. Despite being the least substantial expense in 2018, fuel and power, along with personal goods, experienced a decline. However, spending on household goods remained consistent across both periods.

Overall assessment

Why this response received Band 7.0

The response presents a clear overview and covers the main trends with generally appropriate vocabulary and varied grammar. Its main limitation is some inaccurate or incomplete data, notably an overstated 2018 food figure and the omission of transport, along with a slight word-count shortfall.

IELTS criteria

How each score was decided

Task Achievement

7.0

The response covers the key trends with a clear overview and relevant comparisons, but the 2018 food figure is overstated, transport is omitted, and the response is slightly under the minimum length.

Coherence and Cohesion

7.0

Ideas are organised logically across clear paragraphs with cohesive devices used naturally, though a few linking choices, such as 'During the same period', are slightly imprecise.

Lexical Resource

7.0

Vocabulary is sufficiently flexible and precise for describing change and proportion, with good use of phrases like 'emerged as the primary spending category' and only minor repetition.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy

7.0

A range of structures, including accurate comparative and passive forms, is used with good control and only rare, non-impeding errors.

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