Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-04

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 graph shows the information about how the families in one country spent their weekly income in 1968 and in 2018.

The graph consist of X-axis and Y-axis. The X-axis demonstrates the percentage of weekly income spent by families in one country in 1968 and 2018, And the Y-axis shows the Activities on which the families spent their income on are such as Leisure, transport, personal goods, household goods, clothing, fuel, housing and food.

In 1968, 9% of weekly income had spent by families on Leisure, 8% on transport, 8% on personal goods, 8% on their household goods, 10% on clothing, 6% on fuel, 10% on housing and 35% on food.

In 2018, 23% of weekly salaries spent by families on relaxation, 14% on transportation, 4% on personal possessions, 8% on household things, 5% on their outfits, 4% on fuel, 19% on real estate and 17% on food.

I have summarised the information by selecting and reporting the main features of the graph.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses the task by identifying the main features of the chart. However, it lacks a clear overview or summary of the trends, which is essential for a higher band score. The response is essentially a list of data points rather than a report that highlights significant changes or comparisons. For example, while you mention the figures for food and leisure, you do not explicitly contrast the dramatic shift in food spending (from 35% to 17%) or the rise in leisure spending. To improve, you should group the data by trends (e.g., categories that increased vs. decreased) and provide a clear summary statement in the introduction or conclusion that captures the overall shift in family spending habits over the fifty-year period.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The response is organized into paragraphs, which helps readability. However, the progression of ideas is mechanical. Each paragraph simply lists data points without using cohesive devices to link the information or show relationships between the two years. For instance, the transition between the 1968 and 2018 paragraphs is abrupt. There is a lack of linking words or phrases (e.g., 'In contrast', 'Conversely', 'Meanwhile') to guide the reader through the comparison. Additionally, the final sentence is a meta-commentary about the task rather than part of the report itself, which is unnecessary and disrupts the flow of the academic summary.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks variety and precision. You rely heavily on repetitive structures such as 'spent by families on'. While you attempt to use synonyms like 'relaxation' for 'leisure' and 'outfits' for 'clothing', some choices are slightly informal or imprecise in an academic context (e.g., 'household things' instead of 'household goods' or 'real estate' instead of 'housing'). To reach a higher band, aim for more precise terminology and avoid repeating the same sentence structure for every data point. Using a wider range of verbs like 'declined', 'surged', 'remained stable', or 'fluctuated' would significantly enhance the quality of your report.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

There are several grammatical errors that affect the accuracy of the report. For example, 'The graph consist of' should be 'consists of', and '9% of weekly income had spent by families' is incorrect passive voice; it should be 'was spent by families'. Additionally, 'the Activities on which the families spent their income on are such as' is redundant and grammatically awkward. The sentence structure is largely simple, with limited use of complex sentences. While the meaning is generally clear, the frequency of errors in basic subject-verb agreement and passive constructions prevents the response from reaching a higher band. Focusing on consistent tense usage and correct passive voice formation is recommended.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

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