Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-07-28

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 chart illustrates that how families in one country spent their weekly income in 1968 and in 2018.

In this chart food has consume major income by year 1968 as compare to the year 2018 on the other hand personal goods and transport has less income consumption comparison to other.

In this chart so many other things where families spent money like housing, fuel and power, clothing and footware, household goods, personal goods ,transport and leisure activities.

In conclusion by year1968 weekly income more spent like food, housing, clothing and footware as compare to year 2018 however leisure activity, transport and housing may consume more weekly income by 2018. 35% of the weekly income got consumed at food and 20 to 25% income spent on leisure activity in year 2018. Housing and clothing and footware are equal in year 1968 but it fluctuate by year2018. fuel got less income in year 2018 like 5%.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response attempts to address the task by summarizing the provided chart. However, it fails to provide a clear overview of the main trends. The data selection is somewhat haphazard, and the comparison between 1968 and 2018 is often unclear or inaccurate (e.g., stating housing and clothing were equal in 1968, which is not supported by the data). The report lacks a structured approach to highlighting the most significant changes, such as the dramatic decrease in food expenditure and the increase in leisure spending. To improve, you should group data logically and ensure that the figures cited are accurate reflections of the chart.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay lacks a clear paragraph structure, which makes it difficult to follow the progression of ideas. While there are some attempts at cohesive devices (e.g., 'In conclusion', 'on the other hand'), they are often used incorrectly or in a way that does not improve the flow of the text. The sentences are somewhat disjointed, and the lack of clear topic sentences for paragraphs hinders the overall coherence. To improve, organize your response into a clear introduction, an overview paragraph, and two body paragraphs focusing on specific categories or trends, using linking words more naturally.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is quite limited and repetitive, relying heavily on basic terms like 'spent', 'income', and 'chart'. There are several instances of incorrect word choice and collocation, such as 'food has consume major income' and 'it fluctuate by year 2018'. These errors occasionally make the meaning unclear. To reach a higher band, you need to use a wider range of vocabulary related to data description, such as 'expenditure', 'proportion', 'allocated to', 'witnessed a decline', and 'remained stable'. Focus on using precise verbs and nouns to describe the trends shown in the chart.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response contains frequent grammatical errors, including issues with subject-verb agreement ('food has consume'), tense usage, and sentence structure. Many sentences are fragmented or lack necessary articles and prepositions. The range of structures is very limited, consisting mostly of simple sentences with errors. To improve, focus on mastering basic sentence construction, including correct verb tenses for reporting past data and present trends. Pay attention to subject-verb agreement and the correct use of articles, as these errors are frequent and distract the reader from the content.

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