Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-10

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 comparison between how families in a country spent their weekly income on different things in 1968 and 2018 has been depicted in the given bar graph.

It can be seen that families generally spend their highest amount of income spent on food in 19's. While lowest in fuel and power. In 2018 families largely spent their money on leisure things or activities. Whereas they spent negligible amount of weekley salary on personal goods.

Turning to the details, Families in particular one country mainly spent their weekly income on food. It was highest in 1968 by 35 percent. Followed by Housing and clothing and footwear items where people spent 10 percent of their income. They spent between 5 to 10 percent of their weekly salary on the other activites or thing such as fuel and power, household goods, personal goods, transport and leisure.

After 50 years, the percentage of spending money on leisure things increased by nearly 13 to 14 percent and it was the highest in 2018. The spending on housing and transport were also rose by 8 pecent. families spent equally on household goods. Remaining other decreased over the time where food shows the largest gap from 35 percent in 1968 to 17 percent in 2018. Fuel and power, Clothing and footwear, personal goods stood below 5 percent in 2018.

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AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response provides a clear overview of the main trends, such as the significant decline in food expenditure and the rise in leisure spending. However, the report lacks precision in data reporting. For instance, stating that spending on housing and transport 'were also rose by 8 percent' is inaccurate based on the chart, and the claim that 'families spent equally on household goods' is not supported by the data. Furthermore, the description of the 1968 data as '19's' is vague and unprofessional. While the main features are identified, the lack of accuracy in reporting specific figures prevents a higher band score.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organised into logical paragraphs, with an introduction, body paragraphs, and a summary of trends. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat mechanical and occasionally misused. For example, the transition 'Turning to the details' is acceptable, but the internal flow within paragraphs is often disjointed. The referencing is sometimes unclear, such as in the phrase 'Remaining other decreased over the time', which lacks a clear subject. Paragraphing is present, but the logical progression of ideas is hindered by awkward phrasing and a lack of sophisticated linking words.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The range of vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks precision and variety. There are several instances of awkward word choices, such as 'leisure things' instead of 'leisure activities' and 'personal goods' being described as 'negligible amount of weekley salary'. The repetition of basic verbs like 'spent' and 'increased' limits the lexical range. Additionally, there are minor spelling errors such as 'weekley' and 'activites'. To improve, you should incorporate more precise terminology related to data analysis, such as 'expenditure', 'proportion', 'fluctuated', or 'remained stable'.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. Examples include 'the highest amount of income spent on food in 19's', 'spending on housing and transport were also rose', and 'Remaining other decreased over the time'. Subject-verb agreement and tense consistency are problematic throughout the text. While the meaning is generally understandable, the frequency of errors in basic sentence construction prevents the response from reaching a higher band. Focusing on accurate verb forms and consistent tense usage is essential.

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