Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

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

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 bar chart illustrates the weekly expenditures by families on eight different things between 1968 and 2018 in one country .

Overall, the main weekly spending by families was on food in 1968, following by leisure in 2018 . However the less expenditures were fuel and power in both 1968 and 2018 .

Regarding how much families spend weekly in 1968, food were on top with the proportions of 35% , decreasing to 10% on housing , clothing and footwear . Meanwhile the less consumption was fuel and power with only 6% of weekly income.

On the other hand , in 2018 spending on leisure increased sharply to 22% compared to 9% in 1968 to became the largest category . similarly Transport and housing rose significantly to 14% and 19% respectively . Food and personal goods are the ones declining with about 18%-4% in view of 1968.

in contrast households goods remained stable at around 8% in both years .

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the main shift from food being the largest category in 1968 to leisure leading in 2018, and you include several relevant comparisons, such as leisure rising from 9% to 22% and household goods staying at about 8%. However, the overview is incomplete: fuel and power was the smallest category in 1968, but in 2018 clothing and personal goods were both lower, at around 4–5%, than fuel and power at 4% (approximately tied). Some figures and comparisons are unclear: housing and clothing were both about 10% in 1968, while the phrase “Food and personal goods ... declining with about 18%-4%” does not clearly identify the two starting and ending values. Select the key highs, lows and changes, and report each comparison precisely.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and separate discussion of the two years, followed by a comparison of household goods. This makes the information generally easy to follow. You also use linking expressions such as “Overall,” “On the other hand,” and “In contrast.” However, some connections are mechanical or unclear. For example, “food and personal goods are the ones declining with about 18%-4% in view of 1968” leaves the reader unsure which figure belongs to which category. The overview’s “following by leisure” also makes the relationship between the two leading categories less clear. Grouping the main increases and decreases in a more deliberate order, and using clearer references, would strengthen the progression.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant chart vocabulary, including “proportions,” “increased sharply,” “declining,” and “remained stable,” which helps describe trends and comparisons. The range is sufficient to communicate the main points, but several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or awkward, such as “weekly expenditures ... on eight different things,” “the less expenditures,” and “food were on top.” “Consumption” is also not the most precise term for spending as a share of income. Spelling and form errors, including “footwear” written as “footware,” further reduce accuracy. Aim for standard expressions such as “share of weekly income,” “accounted for,” and “the smallest proportion,” and check spelling and word forms before finishing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including comparisons with “compared to” and a contrast introduced by “On the other hand.” However, grammatical control is inconsistent, and errors occur in several sentences. Examples include “food were on top,” where subject–verb agreement is incorrect, and “to became the largest category,” where the verb form after “to” is faulty. The sentence beginning “Food and personal goods are the ones declining” also shifts tense and has an unclear structure. Punctuation and capitalisation are inconsistent, with spaces before full stops and a lowercase “in contrast” beginning a sentence. Practise accurate past-tense reporting and build comparisons with complete, clearly structured clauses.

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