Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-30

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 chart illustrates the average weekly expenditure of families in a country in the year 1968 and 2018. The weekly income measuredin percentage.

Those families spent their weekly income for food, housing, fuel and power, clothing and footware, household goods, personal goods, transport and leisure. In 1968, they spent the highest portion of their income in food whereas the families from 2018 spent in leisure. The lowest amount was spent for fuel and power by the families in both years.

The families from 1968 used almost one-third of their income just for food. They spent about 10 percent each for housing and clothing and footware. They spent 8 to 9 percent each for household goods, personal goods, transport and leisure.

In 2018, families divided their income in a moderate portion of about 18 to 22 percent for each and spent in food, housing, leisure. They spent almost same as the families from 1968 in fuel and power and household goods. They spent half of the amount as 1968s families in clothing and footware.

The expenditure for food was half in 2018 than 1968 but doubled in leisure as the time passed.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The student successfully covers all parts of the task by reporting the main features of the chart for both 1968 and 2018, and makes relevant comparisons between the two years (e.g., noting that food expenditure halved while leisure doubled). The overview identifies the most significant trends clearly. The figures reported are largely accurate and grounded in the visual data. Minor phrasing issues, such as stating that families spent their income 'in leisure' rather than 'on leisure', do not detract from the clear reporting of information. Overall, the response meets the requirements for Band 6.5 to 7.0, showing a well-rounded approach to selecting and comparing data.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a clear overall progression, moving from an introductory statement to body paragraphs detailing the specific years, and concluding with a summary of key changes. Paragraphing is used appropriately to group related ideas (e.g., separating the 1968 details from the 2018 details). Cohesive devices are employed, although some transitions feel slightly mechanical ('In 1968', 'In 2018'). Referencing is generally clear, though occasional awkward phrasing affects the flow. Overall, the essay demonstrates a coherent structure that allows the reader to follow the comparison effortlessly.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully incorporating terms related to expenditure, such as 'expenditure', 'portion', and 'amount'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'measuredin percentage' (spelling and phrasing error), 'spent the highest portion of their income in food' (should be 'on food'), and 'footware' (spelling error for 'footwear'). Less common vocabulary is attempted with limited success. While communication is not impeded, these lexical errors prevent the response from achieving a higher band score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response features a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating some variety in structure (e.g., 'In 1968, they spent the highest portion of their income in food whereas the families from 2018 spent in leisure'). There are several grammatical errors and awkward preposition usages throughout the text, such as 'measuredin percentage' and 'spent about 10 percent each for housing'. However, these errors rarely impede communication and the meaning remains clear. Punctuation is generally acceptable.

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

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