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 graph depicts how families in a country spend their weekly income on different categories in year 1968 and 2018.

In 1968, highest expense was 35% of weekly incomeon food that dropped significantly in 2018 to approximately 16%. Both housing and clothing expense remained same, at a standing of 10% of weekly income in 1968. For the same year, household goods, personal goods and transport costs remained unchanged as well.

In 2018, major expense was recorded for leisure which is estimated to be 23% followed by rise of housing expense which was previously lower in 1968. Expenditure on personal goods and fuel remained minimum in 2018. The weekly expense on household good remained unchanged in both years. However, both transport and housing cost increased dramatically by 2018.

Overall, the graph exhibits the uphill and downhill expenditure of different items and essentials, on a weekly basis for two specific year.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify several important features, including the sharp fall in food spending, the rise in leisure and housing, and the unchanged household-goods figure. However, the response only partially reports the chart: the claim that clothing spending “remained same” is inaccurate, as it fell from 10% to 5%, and the statement that personal goods and transport “remained unchanged” is also incorrect; transport rose from 8% to 14%, while personal goods fell to 4%. The overview, “uphill and downhill expenditure,” is too general to summarise the main pattern clearly. To strengthen the report, give accurate comparisons across both years and make the overview explicit—for example, food was the largest category in 1968, while leisure led in 2018.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure, moving from an introduction to year-specific details and then a concluding overview. Linking expressions such as “In 1968,” “In 2018,” and “However” help signal relationships between points. Nevertheless, progression is not always clear: the second paragraph says several categories “remained unchanged,” then the next paragraph discusses changes in housing and transport, so the comparison is split and partly contradictory. The final sentence repeats the idea of change without adding a precise summary. Grouping the largest decreases together and the increases or stable figures together would make the information easier to follow. Use references such as “these categories” only when their referents are unmistakable.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use a reasonable range of task-related vocabulary, including “weekly income,” “expense,” “expenditure,” “recorded,” and “increased dramatically.” This is adequate for describing the chart, and the intended meaning is generally clear. Some choices are imprecise or awkward, however: “uphill and downhill expenditure” is not a natural way to describe rises and falls, and “major expense was recorded for leisure” is less direct than saying leisure accounted for the largest share. There are also word-form and spelling issues, such as “household good” and “footware” (in the chart label, if reproduced). Aim for precise collocations and avoid using several near-synonyms for spending when a clear term such as “share” or “proportion” would be more accurate.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, and most sentences communicate the intended comparisons. For example, “However, both transport and housing cost increased dramatically by 2018” uses a clear contrast, although the subject–verb agreement should be “costs increased.” Some grammatical errors remain, including missing articles in “In 1968, highest expense” and “Both housing and clothing expense,” and the awkward construction “followed by rise of housing expense.” The opening also needs a more natural structure: “in year 1968 and 2018” should be “in 1968 and 2018.” Review articles, plural agreement, and sentence phrasing, while continuing to vary sentence structures.

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