The chart below gives information about how families in one country spent their weekly income in 1968 and in 2018.
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Sample Response
The bar chart compares the proportions of weekly income that families in one country spent on eight different categories in 1968 and 2018.
Overall, spending patterns changed considerably over the period. Food accounted for the largest share of household income in 1968, whereas leisure became the biggest spending category in 2018. The proportions spent on food, clothing and footwear, personal goods, and fuel and powerclothing and personal goods declined, while those allocated to leisure, housing and transport increased.
Spending on food saw the largest declineFood experienced the largest decline, with its share falling from 35% in 1968 to approximately 17% in 2018. LikewiseSimilarly, the proportion spent on clothing and footwear halved from 10% to 5%, while spending on personal goods dropped from around 8% to roughly 4%spending on personal goods dropped from around 8% to 4%. Fuel and power also saw a slight decline, from roughly 6% to 4%from 6% to 4%.
By contrast, the share of income allocated to leisure rose markedly from approximately 9% to 22%, making it the largest category in 2018. Housing and transport also also registered considerable increasesexperienced considerable increases, from 10% and 8% to 19% and 14%, respectively. Meanwhile, the proportion spent on household goods remained unchanged at exactly 8%remained relatively stable at around 8%.
Why this response received Band 9.0
The essay is an outstanding response that fully satisfies all task requirements with exceptional accuracy and sophistication. Key trends and detailed data points are selected logically and presented with complete precision. To maintain this elite standard, ensure that similar high-level Task 1 summaries remain equally concise and accurate under strict time constraints.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
All key features and data points are highlighted accurately with a clear and detailed overview.
Continue practicing under timed conditions to maintain accurate data selection across varied chart types.
Coherence and Cohesion
Information is logically organized into well-defined paragraphs with seamless transitions throughout.
Maintain this natural paragraphing structure when describing more complex or multi-chart visuals.
Lexical Resource
A wide range of sophisticated, flexible, and precise vocabulary is used appropriately.
Focus on preserving natural academic phrasing when paraphrasing more unusual visual labels.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
Grammar and sentence structures are error-free, featuring a sophisticated variety of complex forms.
Keep checking punctuation accuracy when using advanced participle phrases and list structures.