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 chart illustrates the data of weekly expanses of families in a country during 1968 and 2018. The amount of money people used is larger in 2018 than 1968 in few categories.

Overall, people spent most of their income on food rather than any other aspects. They used the least on energy, also in this particular time the amount people spent in 1968 is more than 2018. In addiotion, expenses on personal belongings are much in old times than recent days. However, there is only one aspect that is equal in both years; that is product we use in our house.

Another noticable thing is that people spent a huge amount of weekly earnings in their leisure time and housings in 2018. But in old days it was not that much. It could be because at that period the cost of housing was much less than nowadays.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

You identify several relevant patterns, including the high share for food in 1968, the rise in leisure and housing by 2018, and household goods remaining unchanged. However, the overview is partly inaccurate: food was the largest category in 1968, but leisure—not food—was largest in 2018. The claim that people spent the least on energy is also not true across both years, since personal goods and fuel and power were tied at 4% in 2018. Most importantly, the response gives almost no figures, so the scale of the changes is unclear, and the explanation about housing costs is speculation rather than chart information. The response is also three words below the required minimum. Include accurate comparisons with key figures and avoid unsupported explanations.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and a paragraph describing further changes. Linking expressions such as “Overall,” “In addition,” and “However” help signal relationships between points. Nevertheless, progression is limited because the discussion moves between categories without a clear comparison of the two years, and several observations are repeated in general terms rather than developed with data. The reference in “this particular time” is unclear, while “that is product we use in our house” makes the household-goods point less direct. Organise the body around the main increases and decreases, and use precise references to the years and categories to make the connections easier to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant vocabulary for describing a chart, including “weekly earnings,” “categories,” “expenses,” and “spent.” However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate, such as “weekly expanses,” “spent most of their income on … aspects,” and “expenses on personal belongings are much in old times.” Spelling errors in “additiotion” and “noticable” also reduce accuracy. “Energy” is less precise than the chart’s category, “fuel and power,” and “product we use in our house” is an awkward substitute for “household goods.” Build a more precise set of terms for expenditure and change, and check spelling and natural word combinations before finishing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mixture of simple and more complex sentences, including the contrast beginning “However” and the explanation introduced by “It could be because.” Most sentences remain understandable, but some grammatical patterns are awkward or incomplete. For example, “The amount of money people used is larger in 2018 than 1968 in few categories” has an unclear comparison and needs an article before “few”; “They used the least on energy” omits a clear subject for the spending; and “there is only one aspect that is equal” shifts into the present when describing past chart data. The sentence about personal belongings also lacks a clear comparative construction. Use consistent past-tense reporting and practise accurate comparative forms and complete sentence patterns.

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