Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-07

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 chart displays pattern of families spent their weekly income in a country in years 1968 and 2018.

The chart demonstrates that family spent on total 8 different sections and spent mostly on leisure, transport, housing and food in 1968 but in 2018 they spent more on food as compare to other categories.

In 1968, household spent more than 20 percent on leisure as compared to less than 10 percent in 1968. They also spent almost 15 percent in transport in 1968 and less than 10 percent in 2018; however, families spent less than 5 percent to buy personal goods but increased their budget in 2018 and reached above 5 percent. They used same budget for household goods for both years more than 5 percent. Used 5 percent of income to buy clothing and footware which they doubled in 2018. They used less than 5 percent income in fuel and power in 1968 and almost 5 percent in 2018. The second biggest chunk of income used in housing in 1968 which is almost 20 percent but 2018 data shows huge surge and reached almost 10 percent. Food category contained almost 35 percent weekly income in 2018 which is the most highest among all, that went higher than 15 percent in 1968.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

You have identified the main features and provided comparisons between the two years. However, there are significant inaccuracies in your data reporting. For example, you state that housing was 'almost 20 percent' in 1968 and then claim a 'huge surge' to 'almost 10 percent' in 2018, which contradicts the data (a decrease). Additionally, you mention 'leisure' was 'less than 10 percent in 1968' when the chart shows it was significantly higher. These factual errors undermine the accuracy of your summary. To improve, ensure you carefully cross-reference the data points with the visual information provided to avoid misinterpretation.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The response is organised into a brief introduction and a body paragraph. However, the lack of clear paragraphing makes the text feel like a list of data points rather than a cohesive report. While you use some cohesive devices like 'however' and 'in 1968', the progression of ideas is somewhat mechanical. The transition between categories is abrupt, and the overall structure lacks a clear overview or summary section. To reach a higher band, group related information into distinct paragraphs and use a wider variety of linking words to connect your observations more fluidly.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

Your vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, but it is somewhat repetitive, relying heavily on phrases like 'spent' and 'percent'. There are also some awkward collocations, such as 'most highest', which is grammatically incorrect. You attempt to use some descriptive language like 'huge surge', but the inaccuracy of the data makes the vocabulary less effective. To improve, try to incorporate a broader range of synonyms for 'spending' (e.g., 'expenditure', 'allocated', 'outlay') and ensure that your descriptive adjectives accurately reflect the trends shown in the chart.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You use a mix of simple and some complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text. Examples include 'displays pattern of families spent' (should be 'displays the pattern of how families spent') and 'as compare to' (should be 'compared to'). There are also issues with article usage and subject-verb agreement. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they occur frequently enough to impact the clarity of your report. Focusing on basic sentence construction and proofreading for articles and prepositions would significantly improve your accuracy.

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

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