Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-11-12

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 bar chart presents the information about how families in one country spent their weekly income in 1968 and in 2018.

Overall, in 1968, food was the highest figure in weekly spending by families, while, fuel and power was the lowest figure. However, in 2018, leisure rose and the highest spending by families, in addition, fuel and power and personal goods declined and remained the smallest figure.

In 1968, food had at peak arround 35% of weekly income, then it dropped form 35% to approximately 17%, by 2018. Housing was at 10% in 1968, with rose from 10% to under fifth(18%). In 1968, fuel and power was at 7%, and then dipped to arround 3%, by 2018, remained the minimum figure. Clothing and footware, personal goods felled from 10% to 5% and 8% to arround 3% respectively, by 2018. Houswhold goods remained stable at nearly 8%, in both year. In 2018, transport and leisure climbed from 8% to 13% and from 9% to 22% respectively.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the main contrast: food was the largest category in 1968, while leisure became the largest in 2018, and you report several relevant changes across the period. Most figures are close to the chart, though fuel and power is about 6% in 1968 and 4% in 2018, rather than 7% and 3%; personal goods is about 4% in 2018. The overview also calls fuel and power the lowest in 1968, but clothing and footwear and housing are both around 10%, so this comparison is unclear. The response is one word below the 150-word minimum. To develop the report further, make the overview more precise and ensure every category’s comparison is clearly stated.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and a paragraph of figures. It also groups several changes together, which helps the reader follow the comparison. However, progression within the detail paragraph is uneven, and some linking phrases are awkward or repetitive, such as “then,” “by 2018,” and “in 1968” appearing repeatedly. The sentence beginning “However, in 2018” combines the rise in leisure with declines in two other categories without clearly separating the comparisons. Use a more deliberate sequence—for example, first describe the largest categories, then the smaller or stable ones—and connect each change with clear, accurate referencing. This would make the overall arrangement more coherent and cohesion less mechanical.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant chart vocabulary, including “weekly income,” “declined,” “remained stable,” and “climbed,” and the reader can generally understand the comparisons. However, several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or unnatural: “the highest spending … rose,” “was at peak,” and “with rose” do not express the intended ideas clearly. There are also spelling errors, including “arround,” “form,” “footware,” “felled,” and “Houswhold,” which reduce accuracy. Aim for precise reporting verbs and standard category names, such as “accounted for,” “increased,” and “household goods.” A wider set of accurate comparison phrases would help you describe the data more naturally and flexibly.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, and the overall meaning is usually recoverable. However, errors in sentence structure and verb forms occur in several places. For example, “leisure rose and the highest spending” lacks a grammatical link between the two ideas, while “Housing was at 10%, with rose” uses an incorrect clause structure. In “fuel and power was at 7%, and then dipped … remained,” the subject–verb relationship and sentence construction are unclear. Some sentences also rely on repeated “from … to …” patterns rather than varied, controlled structures. Practise forming complete clauses with accurate subjects and verbs, and check that each sentence has a clear main verb and logical punctuation.

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