Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-01

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 graph illustrates the information about how families in individual country spent their weekly cost on their expenses in 1968 and in 2018.

Overall, food recorded the highest share of income who mostly spend on it, but it dramatically declined. Next was housing which people spend weekly cost. Families did not spend much money on Leisure, after some years they liked to spend on leisure expenses.

To begin with, food accounted for the highest expenses of families at 35% in 1968, while this trend significant downed in 2018. Furthermore, families was spending their weekly income on housing at 10% in 1968. after some years it increased to approximately 20% in 2018. Moreover, Leisure one the most expense which people do not like to invest their weekly income from 9% in 1968, while this trend rose to around 23% in 2018.

Turning to the next details, fuel and power had the lowest proportion of weekly income at over 5% in 1968, whereas it slightly decreased to 4% in 2018.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response covers the main features of the chart, identifying the trends for food, housing, and leisure. However, the analysis is somewhat superficial. For example, the description of fuel and power is accurate but lacks a comparative perspective. The overview is present but lacks clarity, particularly in the phrasing 'who mostly spend on it'. Some data points are mentioned, but the comparison between the two years could be more precise. To improve, ensure that all categories are clearly compared and that the overview highlights the most significant shifts rather than just listing categories.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The response is organized into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the information. However, the use of cohesive devices is sometimes mechanical or slightly unnatural, such as 'Turning to the next details' or 'after some years'. The progression of ideas is generally logical, but the connection between sentences could be smoother. The referencing is occasionally unclear, such as in the second paragraph where the link between the categories and the trends is a bit disjointed. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring clear transitions between paragraphs would enhance the flow.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks precision and variety. There are several instances of awkward phrasing, such as 'weekly cost on their expenses' and 'significant downed'. The use of 'invest' to describe household spending on leisure is also slightly inaccurate in this context. While the student attempts to use descriptive language, the word choices are often repetitive or imprecise. To reach a higher band, focus on using more academic collocations and precise terminology related to data description, such as 'proportion', 'expenditure', and 'fluctuation'.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. Examples include 'families was spending' (subject-verb agreement), 'Leisure one the most expense' (missing verb/article), and 'this trend significant downed' (incorrect word form). Punctuation is generally functional, but the sentence structure is often repetitive. To improve, focus on subject-verb agreement and the correct use of verb tenses when describing past and present trends. Reducing these basic errors will significantly improve the overall quality of the writing.

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