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 graph chart gives information about the families in our country spent their weekly income in 1968 and 2018.

the chart shows that families had lost significant interest in food from 1968 to 2018, while in leisue the interest had been jumping from about 8% to 22%.

on the one hand, fuel and power, clothing and footware, and personal goods decreased slightly in 2018 compare to 1968, , whereas in food catagory data shows that there was a significant decrease occured from 18% to 35%, which is half of their actual value.

On the other hand, there were increase in propotion of housing and transport, but in leisure, percentage increased about more than double which was from about 9% to 21%. Moreover the situation of household remained same about 8% between 1968 and 2018.

In concluion, in graph half of the informations rose and half of declined but one thing remained constant.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify several important patterns, especially the sharp fall in food spending and the rise in leisure, and you note that household-goods spending stayed at about 8%. However, the account is only partial: the food figures are reversed (35% in 1968 and 17% in 2018, not 18% to 35%), and the overview that “half” the categories rose and half declined is inaccurate. Housing and transport increased, while fuel and power, clothing and footwear, and personal goods fell; these changes are not all clearly quantified. The response is also 144 words, six short of the required minimum; the eight words copied from the prompt are excluded. Include a clearer overview and accurate key comparisons.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a basic sequence: an opening, comments on decreases and increases, and a concluding sentence. Linking phrases such as “On the one hand,” “On the other hand,” and “Moreover” help signal contrasts. However, the progression is not consistently clear because the overview and category details are mixed together, and the final claim that half the figures rose and half declined does not follow accurately from the data. Some linking is mechanical, and the opening sentence does not lead into a clear summary of the main features. Organise the response into a concise overview followed by grouped comparisons, for example, categories that rose and those that fell, and use transitions only where they clarify the relationship.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant chart vocabulary, including “percentage,” “decreased,” “increased,” and “remained same,” so the reader can generally understand the intended comparisons. However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate, such as “lost significant interest in food,” which describes preference rather than spending, and “the interest had been jumping” for a change in a proportion. There are also noticeable spelling and word-form errors, including “leisue,” “catagory,” “propotion,” and “concluion.” Use precise terms such as “share of weekly income” or “proportion spent,” and check spelling carefully. Avoid describing spending as interest unless the chart measures preferences.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including a contrast with “whereas” and a concluding sentence. However, errors are frequent, and some sentence structures make the comparisons difficult to follow. For example, “families in our country spent their weekly income” is missing a suitable relative construction, while “there was a significant decrease occured” incorrectly combines two verb structures. Agreement and tense are also unreliable in “there were increase” and “percentage increased.” Punctuation is inconsistent, including the lower-case sentence opening and the doubled comma after “1968.” Practise accurate past-tense reporting and sentence patterns such as “spending on X fell from … to …” before adding more complex clauses.

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