Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-08-29

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 shows average weekly spending of families in 1968 and 2018 . the information is given in percentage.

We can see that in 1968 families spend most of their income in food while in 2018 they spend their most of the money in leisure and housing. We can see that the spending of food decreases alot and spending of leisure and housing increases.

In 1968, biggest spening of the families was on food. about 35% of their weekly income. Housing spends was around 10%, while clothing and footwear was also about 10%. Household goods and personal goods were approximately 7% . Fuel and power was around 6%, and transport and leisure were about 8% and 9%.

In 2018, food spending decreases to about 17%. Housing increased to around 19% . Leisure was the highest at about 22%, while transport was approximately 14%. Spending on clothing and footwear dropped to about 5%. Fuel and power.

Overall, families in 2018 spend their money more on housing, transport and leisure, but less on food and clothing compared with 1968.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response covers the main features of the chart and makes relevant comparisons between the two years. You successfully identified the shift from food-heavy spending to leisure and housing. However, the report is somewhat mechanical in its listing of data points. To reach a higher band, you should focus on grouping data more effectively rather than listing percentages for each category sequentially. Additionally, the sentence 'Fuel and power.' is an incomplete fragment, which represents a minor omission in data reporting. Overall, the response provides a clear overview and addresses the requirements of the task.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organised into logical paragraphs, with an introduction, body paragraphs for each year, and a summary. The use of cohesive devices is present but somewhat repetitive (e.g., 'We can see that' is used twice in the first paragraph). The progression of ideas is generally clear, but the transition between the data points could be smoother. The final paragraph provides a good summary of the trends, which helps the overall coherence of the response. Improving the variety of linking words would enhance the flow.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'percentage', 'income', and 'spending'. However, there is a lack of variety in your word choice, and some phrasing is slightly unnatural, such as 'biggest spening' (spelling error) and 'Housing spends' (incorrect word form). You rely on simple verbs like 'spend' and 'decreases' repeatedly. To improve, try incorporating more precise synonyms and collocations related to data description, such as 'expenditure', 'accounted for', or 'experienced a significant decline'.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'families spend most of their income in food' (should be 'on food') and 'spending of food decreases alot' (should be 'a lot'). Punctuation is inconsistent, particularly with spacing before periods. The sentence 'Fuel and power.' is a fragment and lacks a verb or data point. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are frequent enough to affect the overall accuracy of the writing.

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