Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-20

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 data on how households in a single nation spent their weekly wages measured in percentage in 1968 as well as in 2018.

Overall, the pattern of family expenditure changed significantly between 1968 and 2018.Food was by far the largest expense in1968, whereas leisure, housing and transport all took a larger proportion of income by 2018.

As is seen from the graph ,a little more than third of the incomes went in for food in the year 1968. This was a historic high before taking a moderate fall (nearly half of it was in 1968) in 2018. Moreover, categories like fuel, clothing and personal goods taking a lower portion of incomes from 5 to 10% in1968 but saw a marginal drop in 2018. Interestingly, spendings in household goods remained as high as before

In contrast to 1968, preference to spend household's earnings on a weekly basis has changed dramatically on housing, transport and leisure in year 2018 while leisure peaked at over 20%; saw almost a 3 times increase in incomes from 1968 to 2018. On the other housing and transport had a growth from 1968 to 2018 but their rise was minimal as both the category can't go beyond 20% of expenditure.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the main shift from food being the dominant expense in 1968 to leisure, housing and transport taking larger shares in 2018, and you include relevant comparisons such as food falling from just over a third to about half that share and leisure rising to above 20%. The overview is clear, and the response covers the main categories. However, some details are unclear or imprecise: “fuel, clothing and personal goods” are grouped together even though their 2018 figures differ, and the claim that housing and transport rose “minimally” understates housing’s increase from 10% to 19%. Household goods staying unchanged is a useful observation, but it would be stronger with the figure. Develop these comparisons more precisely.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and two detail paragraphs contrasting the years. This gives the reader a general route through the information. However, progression within the detail paragraphs is uneven, and some links are awkward or unclear. For example, “This was a historic high before taking a moderate fall” does not clearly identify what fell, while “On the other housing and transport” is an inaccurate transition. The final paragraph also combines several comparisons in a long sentence, making the relationship between the figures harder to follow. Use clearer grouping—such as declines, increases and unchanged spending—and connect each comparison directly to its category and year.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a reasonable range of task-related vocabulary, including “proportion,” “expenditure,” “marginal drop” and “peaked,” and the main meaning is generally understandable. However, several word choices and collocations are unnatural or imprecise: “weekly wages measured in percentage,” “went in for food,” and “preference to spend household’s earnings” do not describe the chart naturally. “Historic high” is also an overstatement for a figure shown only across two years, and “spendings” is not the appropriate form here. Aim for precise chart language such as “accounted for,” “share of weekly income” and “expenditure on.” Check spelling and spacing as well, including “footwear” if you refer to that category.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mix of simple and complex sentences, including contrast clauses and time comparisons, and the overall message can usually be followed. Some grammatical errors remain, particularly in sentence construction, agreement and punctuation. For example, “categories like fuel, clothing and personal goods taking a lower portion” lacks a finite verb, and “both the category can’t go beyond” has a number-agreement problem. The sentence beginning “while leisure peaked…” is also an incomplete or poorly joined construction. There are missing spaces after full stops and before commas, and the final paragraph contains a run-on structure. Build each comparison around a complete subject and verb, and use full stops to separate distinct points.

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