Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-08-04

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 chart illustrates the weekly spending by families in different household works in 1968 and in 2018.

Overall, the highest earnings were spent on food items in 1968 as compared to 2018. Leisure expense was the second highest in 2018, while both fuel and personal spending were at the lowest in 2018.

In 1968, a large number of weekly expenses were spent on food at 35%, whereas expenditure in 2018 was 16%. In addition, a similar percentage of income was spent on household goods at 8% in both years. However, 23% of the weekly earnings were allocated for entertainment in 2018, which was the second greatest amount, while 8% were in 1968.

A significant rise of budget spending on the housing and transport sectors in contrast to the past at 18% on housing anf 8% on transport in 2018. Clothing and footwear showed 10% weekly expenditure in 1968 and 5% in 1968.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response covers the main features of the chart, such as the decline in food spending and the rise in housing and leisure. However, the analysis is somewhat inconsistent. For instance, you mention 'fuel and personal spending were at the lowest in 2018' without providing the data, and the final sentence contains a factual error regarding the year for clothing expenditure (stating 5% in 1968 instead of 2018). While you identify key trends, the lack of precision in reporting figures and the inclusion of inaccurate data prevent a higher score. To improve, ensure all data points are double-checked against the source and that comparisons are clearly supported by the provided figures.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organised into logical paragraphs, with an introduction, an overview, and body paragraphs. You use some cohesive devices such as 'In addition', 'However', and 'whereas' to link ideas. However, the progression of ideas is occasionally disjointed, particularly in the final paragraph where the transition between housing, transport, and clothing is abrupt. Furthermore, the referencing is sometimes unclear, such as the phrase 'in contrast to the past at 18% on housing', which lacks a clear grammatical connection to the previous sentence. Improving the flow between sentences and ensuring consistent paragraph structure will enhance the overall coherence.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'expenditure', 'allocated', and 'sectors'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation. For example, 'household works' is not the correct term for categories of spending; 'household goods' or 'categories' would be more appropriate. Additionally, the phrasing 'budget spending' is slightly redundant. While the vocabulary is sufficient to convey the main points, it lacks the precision and flexibility required for higher bands. Expanding your repertoire of reporting verbs and noun phrases related to financial data would be beneficial.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors that occasionally impact clarity, such as the sentence fragment 'A significant rise of budget spending... at 18% on housing anf 8% on transport in 2018', which lacks a main verb. You also have a typo ('anf' instead of 'and') and an error in the final sentence where you repeat '1968' instead of contrasting it with '2018'. While the meaning is generally understandable, the frequency of these errors limits the score. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and proofreading for minor slips will help improve your accuracy.

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