Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

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

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)

Its amazing to see how living standrds and living costs can change in half a century. The chart below shows us how people spent their weekly incomes on food, housing, fuel, clothing, transportation in 1968 with comparison to 2018. In 60s, people had clear preference for food as compared to ones in 2018. However, 50 years ago, they didn't care much about the housings but in 2018 public did spend a good amount on housing. Fuel and power both were on lower on the list of preference for two sides but the household goods had captured their place with same preference in both the decades. People from 60s were more aesthetically active as they spent much on clothes and shoes.

Meanwhile, when we come down the list on chart, we see a sharp increase in spending on leisurely item from 2018 families while 60s's families didn't really care about it.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify several genuine contrasts, especially the fall in food spending and the rise in housing and leisure, and you note that household-goods spending was unchanged. However, the response does not give any figures, so the scale of these changes is unclear, and it omits important categories such as transport, which rose substantially, and personal goods. Some claims are inaccurate or too broad: clothing and footwear spending was lower in 2018, but the chart does not show that 1968 families were more “aesthetically active”; nor does it support saying families in the 1960s “didn't really care” about leisure. Include a clear overview and report key values and comparisons objectively.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a generally understandable sequence: it introduces the chart, compares several categories, and then turns to leisure. Linking expressions such as “However” and “Meanwhile” help signal contrasts. Nevertheless, the ideas are packed into one paragraph, and the progression is not consistently organised by the chart’s main features. Phrases such as “when we come down the list on chart” are vague, while “Fuel and power both were on lower on the list” makes the comparison difficult to follow. Group the largest changes together, then cover the remaining categories, using clear references to 1968 and 2018. A separate overview would also make the structure easier to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You attempt a range of vocabulary, including “clear preference,” “sharp increase,” and “captured their place,” and the general topic remains understandable. However, several choices are imprecise or informal for an academic chart summary. “People didn’t care much” and “didn’t really care” attribute attitudes that the data cannot establish; “spending was lower” would be more objective. “Aesthetically active” does not accurately describe clothing expenditure, and “leisurely item” is an unnatural phrase. There are also spelling errors, including “standrds” and “footware” (the latter appears in the chart label but should be written “footwear”). Use precise category names and neutral terms such as “accounted for” or “represented” when describing proportions.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You use some longer sentence forms, including a contrast introduced by “However” and a sentence beginning “Meanwhile,” so there is an attempt to vary structure. However, grammatical control is uneven. For example, “Fuel and power both were on lower on the list” has an incorrect construction, and “the household goods had captured their place with same preference” has awkward article use and unclear sentence structure. “In 60s” and “50 years ago” also need more accurate grammatical framing, such as “In 1968” or “In the 1960s.” The sentence about the chart’s categories is difficult to parse because the list and time comparison are not clearly connected. Aim for shorter, well-controlled comparisons, while retaining some complex sentences.

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