Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-20

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 chart provides information about the expenditure of families from the weekly income in one country from 1968 and 2018.

Overall, families spent a large amount of their income for the purpose of food and leisure while they spent relativley less money on fuel and power.

Detailed analysis of the chart revealed that almost 35% of income was spent on food in 1968 and about 17% in 2018. Similarly, in 1968 families spent approximately 23% of their income in leisure activities but they somewhat reduce to spend much money on leisure in 2018 which is only 7%. Transport makes their 6% of weekly income in 1968 and 13% in 2018.

Moreover, in 1968 Families spend 10% of their weekly income paying rent while the rent is increased in 2018 which accounts for about 19%. In comparison, they spend relatively less money in fuel and power which is about 6% in 1968 and 4% in 2018. Clothing and footwear uses their 10% of weekly income in 1968 then they spend almost half (5%)in 2018. They uses 10% of their income in household goods in both years and for their personal goods they spend 7% in 1968 and 4% in 2018.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The student attempts to address the task by reporting several data points from the chart comparing 1968 and 2018. However, there are significant inaccuracies in the data reported. For instance, the student states that leisure spending in 1968 was approximately 23% and dropped to 7% in 2018, whereas the chart shows 9% in 1968 rising to 22% in 2018—a complete inversion of the trend. Additionally, the overview is rather weak, claiming that families spent a large amount on leisure in 1968 when leisure was actually one of the lowest categories in that year. While some main features are captured, such as food decreasing and housing increasing, the factual errors in reading the chart pull down the task achievement score.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The response is divided into four paragraphs, including an introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs detailing the categories. This basic structural framework is evident, and the text progresses from an introduction to general trends and then specific details. However, cohesive devices are somewhat mechanical or misused, such as 'Detailed analysis of the chart revealed' followed by flawed data, and 'in comparison' used inappropriately to link disparate points. Paragraphing is present, but overall logical progression is hindered by the inaccuracies in data presentation and awkward transitions.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary relevant to the topic of family expenditure, including terms like 'expenditure', 'weekly income', 'rent', and 'household goods'. There are some attempts at less common vocabulary or phrases, but word choice and collocation errors are noticeable, such as 'spend relatively less money on fuel and power' and 'they somewhat reduce to spend much money'. Spelling is generally acceptable, but vocabulary limitations and imprecise phrasing occasionally cause confusion for the reader, particularly when misreporting statistics.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The response includes a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as subordinate clauses beginning with 'while' and 'as'. However, there are frequent grammatical errors and awkward phrasing, including tense inconsistencies and faulty verb patterns (e.g., 'they somewhat reduce to spend', 'Clothing and footwear uses their 10%', and 'Families spend 10%... while the rent is increased'). Punctuation and capitalization have minor issues as well, such as double spaces and unnecessary capitalization of 'Families'. These errors require some effort from the reader to interpret, placing the response firmly at band 5.0.

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