Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-11

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 given bar chart illustrates how families at one particular country distributed their employement income on various basic amenities in the years 1968 and 2018.

From the chart, we observe a notable transform in category of food from the year 1968 to 2018 which has a dropped of almost half from the initial point. Moreover, a viable rose was visualised in the category of housing which delineates that families were more inclined towards accomodation. Additionally, expenses on fuel and power had slightly declined which ensures environmental awareness. Whereas, categeories such as clothing and personal goods had a similar declination.

We also noted a stagnant deflection in category of household goods while, categories such as transport and leisure had a drastically transformation from 1968 to 2018.

To wrap up, the common expenses among families spent in food sources in the year 1968. While, the great investment was contributed in the year 2018 for housing as more people treated housing as a main source of lifestyle.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the main shift in spending: food fell substantially, while housing rose, and you note that household goods changed little. These are relevant features, and your closing comparison recognises that food was the largest category in 1968 and leisure was the largest in 2018. However, the overview is incomplete and partly inaccurate: in 2018, leisure (22%), not housing, received the greatest share; housing was 19%. The chart also shows transport rising markedly, but this change is not explained, and the statement that families were more inclined towards accommodation adds an unsupported interpretation. Report the key figures and compare the largest categories more precisely to make the main features clearer and more fully developed.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure, moving from an introduction to comparisons and a concluding summary. Linking expressions such as “Moreover,” “Additionally,” and “To wrap up” help signal progression, and the reader can generally follow the broad changes. However, the middle paragraphs group trends without giving a clear, systematic comparison, and the final paragraph repeats the idea of the largest spending category rather than consolidating all the main changes. Some links are mechanical or awkward, particularly “Whereas” beginning a sentence and “while” joining clauses after a comma. Organise the body around the largest changes and the smaller or stable categories, and use clearer transitions so each comparison follows naturally.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You attempt a range of vocabulary, including “notable,” “declined,” “stagnant,” and “transformation,” but several choices are inaccurate or unnatural for describing chart data. Phrases such as “a viable rose,” “stagnant deflection,” and “drastically transformation” make the trends difficult to interpret, while “basic amenities” does not accurately describe all the spending categories. There are also noticeable spelling errors, including “employement,” “accomodation,” and “categeories.” Prefer precise, familiar terms for increases, decreases, and stability; these will communicate the data more effectively than ambitious but unsuitable wording. Check spelling and collocations carefully.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You use both simple statements and attempts at more complex structures, for example, “Moreover, a viable rose was visualised…” and “while, categories such as transport and leisure…”. However, some sentence patterns are faulty, and these errors sometimes make relationships between ideas unclear. In “which has a dropped of almost half,” the verb phrase is not formed correctly; “a stagnant deflection in category” also lacks a clear grammatical construction. The concluding fragment beginning “While, the great investment…” is not a complete sentence, and punctuation around “while” is problematic. Practise complete sentence structures and accurate past-tense reporting, then check articles and clause connections. Clearer grammar will let your comparisons stand out.

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