Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-08-07

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 figure illustrates average weekly spending by families in a specific country in 1968 and 2018

Overall, mean salary spent on food in 1968 is highest which was taken by leisure in 2018. Spendings on housing increased significantly in 2018 compared to 1968. Spendings on household good remained approximately same in mentioned years.

In 1968 weekly spending on food was about 35 percent which decrease dramatically to around 17 percent in 2018. Investment on housing was approximately 10 percent which surged to about 19 percent in 2018. Fuel and power spending fall about 4 percent and clothing and footware by almost 5 percent.

Weekly spendings on household goods remained almost equal which is around 7 percent during both the years. Spendings on personal good were at roughly 7 percent which reduced to under 5 percent. Weekly spendings on transport witnessed a sharp rise and end up to over 13 percent. Spendings on leisure is the most among all the others in 2018 which was around 22 percent as compared to 8 percent in 1968.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

You have successfully identified the main trends and provided relevant comparisons between 1968 and 2018. You covered all categories and highlighted the most significant shifts, such as the decline in food spending and the rise in leisure and housing costs. To reach a higher band, ensure that your overview is more precise; for example, instead of saying 'mean salary', refer to 'average weekly household expenditure'. Additionally, ensure all data points are accurately described, as some figures, such as the 'fuel and power' decline, could be more clearly linked to the specific percentage changes shown in the chart.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The response is logically organized with a clear introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs. You use some cohesive devices, such as 'Overall' and 'In 1968', to guide the reader. However, the flow between sentences is sometimes mechanical, and the use of linking words could be more varied to improve the progression of ideas. For instance, the transition between the discussion of housing and fuel could be smoother. Paragraphing is used appropriately, which helps the reader follow the structure of your report.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'surged', 'witnessed a sharp rise', and 'dramatically'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice, such as 'Investment on housing' (expenditure is more accurate) and 'personal good' (should be 'personal goods'). Additionally, 'footware' is misspelled. To improve, try to incorporate more precise collocations related to data reporting, such as 'accounted for' or 'experienced a downward trend', rather than repeating 'spendings' multiple times.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are several grammatical errors, such as 'Spendings on household good remained approximately same' (should be 'goods' and 'the same') and 'fuel and power spending fall' (should be 'fell'). There are also issues with subject-verb agreement and article usage. To achieve a higher score, focus on proofreading for these minor errors and attempt to use a wider variety of complex structures with greater accuracy.

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