Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-08-30
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 graph illustrates the spending proportion of money in different work by one family in a week between 1968 and 2018.
Overall, it can be seen that the families spend their most of the money for food in 1968, whereas in 2018, leisure had consume the highest percentage of weekly income. In addition, citizens had pay least money for fuel and power in both years.
In 1968, families spend highest 35% of their weekly income for food, while it declined to 18% in 2018. Families aslo spend more money for Clothing and footware also personal goods in 1968, at 10% and 8% respectively. But it decreased to 5 % and 3 % by 2018, respectively. Fuel and power had the lowest proportion in both years with 7% and 3% of total income.
On the other hand, household goods had the same 7% in both years. Furthermore, housing, transport and leisure cost increased in 2018. Housing cost rose to 10% to 18%, transport had increased 7% to 14% and leisure aslo climbed 8% to 22% respectively in both years, 1968 and 2018.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0
The response covers the main features of the data well, identifying the key trends such as the decline in food spending and the rise in leisure and housing costs. The overview is clear and highlights the most significant changes between 1968 and 2018. However, the report could be improved by ensuring all data points are accurate; for instance, the description of household goods as 'the same 7%' is slightly inaccurate based on typical chart data, and the phrasing 'spending proportion of money in different work' is imprecise. Overall, the response successfully addresses the requirements of the prompt by selecting and reporting relevant comparisons.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The essay is logically organized into an introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs. The progression of ideas is generally clear, and the writer uses cohesive devices such as 'In addition', 'On the other hand', and 'Furthermore' to link sentences. However, some transitions are slightly mechanical, and the referencing is occasionally repetitive. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the different categories of spending. To reach a higher band, the writer should focus on using a wider variety of cohesive devices and ensuring that the relationship between sentences is more fluid and less reliant on simple connectors.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The range of vocabulary is adequate for the task, allowing the writer to describe trends (e.g., 'declined', 'rose', 'climbed'). However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'spending proportion of money in different work' and 'leisure had consume'. These errors do not impede communication but indicate a limited range of sophisticated vocabulary. To improve, the writer should focus on using more precise terminology for data reporting and ensuring correct verb forms and collocations when discussing economic trends.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with verb tenses and subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'citizens had pay', 'leisure had consume', 'families spend highest'). These errors are noticeable and occur throughout the text. While the writer attempts to use complex structures, the control over these is inconsistent. Improving accuracy in basic verb forms and ensuring consistent tense usage when describing historical data would significantly enhance the quality of the writing.
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