Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)

The given bar chart illustrate information about how families in one nation use their weekly wages between 1968 to 2018

Overall, it is clear that aspent money on food recorded the highest figure, whereas used money on leisure is the higest numbers in 2018. Additionally, household is reamin same among the graph.

Looking at the details, food was the highest in the whole plot that used money by families which was 35% , followed by housing and and clothing and footware data were same whoich was 10%, Meanwhile,leisure had 9%, whereas household goods, personal goods and transport were had 7% each. Money used on fuel and power was the lowest which was 6%.

Turning to the remaining categories, invested money on leisure was the highest with 20%, whilefuel and power had the lowest with below 5% in 2018. Notably, food and housing were numbers above 15%, whereas transport had 14% and spent money on houshold was 7% while, fuel and power, clothing and footware and personal goods presented below 5% respectivealiy.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the two main shifts: food is the largest category in 1968, while leisure is the largest in 2018, and you note that household spending is broadly unchanged. These are relevant overview points. However, the overview is unclear and the comparisons are only partly accurate: in 2018, leisure is about 22%, not 20%, and household goods are 8% in both years, rather than 7%. For 1968, transport is about 8%, not 7%, and the response does not clearly compare the major rises and falls across the two years. Develop the overview with precise directional comparisons—for example, food fell markedly while leisure, housing and transport rose—and report the categories consistently.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and separate paragraphs for the two years. Phrases such as “Looking at the details” and “Turning to the remaining categories” help signal movement through the chart, and the reader can generally follow the intended comparison. This coherent arrangement is a strength. However, progression within paragraphs is sometimes weakened by unclear links and awkwardly joined information, as in “followed by housing and and clothing…” and “while, fuel and power…”. The overview also combines ideas in a way that makes the comparison difficult to interpret. Group categories by their changes or rank, and use clearer sentence boundaries and references so each comparison follows logically.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some task-relevant vocabulary, including “bar chart,” “highest,” “lowest,” “followed by,” and “recorded,” so the topic is identifiable. However, the range is limited and several expressions are inaccurate or unnatural, such as “aspent money,” “used money on leisure,” and “invested money on leisure.” Repeated use of “money used” also makes the report less precise. There are noticeable spelling errors, including “higest,” “footware,” “houshold,” and “respectivealiy,” which can distract the reader. Use standard chart language such as “accounted for,” “stood at,” “rose,” and “fell,” and check spelling and word forms carefully. More precise vocabulary would make the comparisons clearer.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt a mixture of simple statements and longer sentences with contrast, for example, “whereas leisure had 9%” and “while…”. This shows an effort to connect information rather than list every figure separately. However, sentence structures are often faulty, and errors sometimes make the intended meaning difficult to follow. Examples include “The given bar chart illustrate,” where subject–verb agreement is missing, and “household is reamin same,” which has an incorrect verb form and incomplete construction. The sentence beginning “food was the highest… which was 35%” also has an unclear grammatical relationship between the category and figure. Practise accurate past-tense reporting, agreement, and complete clauses; then punctuate longer comparisons so they do not run together.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

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