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 illustrates information about how families in one country spent their weekly income in 1968 and in 2018.

The first category is food, in 1968, 35% of weekly income is spent on food whereas in 2018 18% of income is allocated on food. The second category is housing, in 1968 10% of income is spent on housing, whereas in 2018 the count becomes 23%.

The third category is fuel and power, the 7% of money is allocated on fuel and power whereas in 2018, 5- 10% of money is allocated on fuel and power. The next category is clothing and footware in 1968 10% of income is allocated on clothing and footware. The another category is household goods the percentile of weekly income is same in both the year which is 8-10%. The next category is personal goods in 1968, 8-10% of money is spent on personal goods whereas in 2018, the count is 0 -5%. The another category is transport, in 1968, 7% of income is spent on transport. whereas in 2018, the ratio is 14%.

The last category is leisure, in 1968, 7% of income is spent on leisure, whereas in 2018, the count is 22%

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AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response covers the main features of the chart, but it lacks a clear overview. An IELTS Task 1 response must include a summary of the most significant trends or differences between the two years. Instead, you have provided a list of data points for each category. Furthermore, the reporting is somewhat mechanical, simply listing figures rather than making meaningful comparisons. To improve, group the data into categories that increased, decreased, or remained stable, and ensure you highlight the most striking changes, such as the significant drop in food spending versus the rise in leisure and housing costs.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The response is organized by category, which is a logical approach. However, the paragraphing is poor; the entire body of the report is essentially one long, repetitive paragraph. The use of cohesive devices is very limited and repetitive, relying heavily on 'the next category is' or 'the another category is'. To achieve a higher band, you should use a wider variety of linking words (e.g., 'In contrast,' 'Conversely,' 'Similarly,' 'A notable trend is') and organize your ideas into distinct paragraphs—one for the overview and one or two for the detailed comparisons.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is quite basic and repetitive. You frequently use the phrase 'the count is' or 'money is allocated on', which limits the range of your expression. There are also some inaccuracies, such as using 'percentile' when you mean 'percentage' and 'footware' (spelled 'footwear'). To improve, try to use a broader range of verbs and nouns to describe data, such as 'expenditure,' 'proportion,' 'accounted for,' 'witnessed a decline,' or 'remained constant.' Avoid repeating the same sentence structures for every category.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The grammar is generally understandable, but there are frequent errors in article usage, subject-verb agreement, and sentence structure. For example, 'the 7% of money is allocated' is incorrect; it should be '7% of income was allocated.' You also have issues with tense consistency, as you mix present tense ('is spent') with the context of past years (1968). Additionally, some sentences are fragmented or lack proper punctuation. Focus on using a mix of simple and complex sentences and ensure your verb tenses are consistent with the time frames mentioned in the prompt.

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