Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-13

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 line graph illustrates the idea about how a family from one country using their weekly income in two different year .

Overall, the percentages of food stood at the top position from past year while in recent year,the number of leisure increased steadily. Whereas , other remained at low position.

In 1968, food have take taken the first position in the graph at the percentages of 35%.In that same years, housing took secoond place which was nearly 17%. There was a significant gap between them. In a contrast, people of 2018 have spent their income on food less which 16% .There is 19% percent gap from 1968 to 2018.

However, in 2018 families spent their income mostly on leisure which was around 23% while other reamin in a similar position .Therefore, the number of household goods in both years was at an equal position at the percentage of nearly 10% .Fuel and power remain at low position in both year.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify several important features, including the sharp fall in food spending, the rise of leisure, and the similar household-goods figures. However, coverage is partial and some comparisons are inaccurate or unclear. For example, housing in 1968 was about 10%, not nearly 17%, and the “19% percent gap” between food figures is not expressed clearly; the difference is about 18 percentage points. The overview also says leisure “increased steadily,” although the chart compares only two years, and “other remained at low position” overlooks the substantial rise in housing and transport. Include the main changes more accurately and compare the categories that rose as well as those that fell.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a basic overall structure: an introduction, an overview, and details about the two years. This gives the reader some sense of how the information is organised. However, progression is limited because the details are not grouped consistently, and several linking expressions are awkward or do not clarify the relationship between ideas. For instance, “In a contrast” and “However” introduce comparisons without making them precise, while “Therefore” does not show a clear cause-and-effect link in the household-goods sentence. The overview’s “Whereas” is also left without a complete contrasting clause. Organise the figures into clear comparisons—such as categories that rose and those that fell—and use simpler, accurate transitions.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some task-related vocabulary, including “percentages,” “significant gap,” “spent their income,” and “similar position,” so the topic is generally understandable. However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are unnatural, such as “stood at the top position,” “remain at low position,” and “took first position.” Repetition of “position” and “income” also makes the description less precise. There are noticeable spelling errors, including “secoond” and “reamin,” and “line graph” is not the correct name for this bar chart. Use standard chart language such as “accounted for,” “was the largest share,” and “rose/fell,” while checking spelling and choosing terms that describe proportions accurately.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response attempts a few longer structures, including “while other remain in a similar position” and the contrast between spending on food and leisure. However, the range is limited, and errors occur frequently enough to make some sentences difficult to follow. Examples include “how a family … using their weekly income,” “food have take taken,” and “people of 2018 have spent,” where verb forms and sentence construction are faulty. There are also problems with articles, agreement, and punctuation, as in “in recent year,the number” and “both year.” Aim first for accurate simple comparisons, then add controlled complex sentences using “while” or “whereas.” Check verb tense, subject–verb agreement, and sentence boundaries when editing.

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

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