Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-25

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 below demonstrates the information of the spending of a families in one country in the year of 1968 and 2018 .

Overall, the spending of 1968 is compair to 2018 was diffrent .Among all spending in food , energy , outfit and and personal goods had discresed whers housing , teansport and leisure spending had increased in the year of 2018.Spending in household goods remained same in both given years .

In 1968 the most spending sector was food with 35 percent . Spending in house and clothing was constant at 10 percent . The lest sepnding sector was fuel and power which was close to 5 percent .

In 2018 the most amount of money was spend in leisure with more than 20 percent . The lest amount of money was spend in both energy and personal goods with the percentage not more than 5. Household goods remained the same in the year of 1968 and 2018 both .

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the main contrast between the two years: food was the largest category in 1968, while leisure was largest in 2018, and household-goods spending stayed unchanged. Several comparisons are also broadly accurate, including the rise in housing and transport and the fall in clothing and personal goods. This gives the response a relevant overview and covers key features. However, some details are incomplete or imprecise: housing and clothing are described as “constant at 10 percent,” although only their 1968 figures are given, and the 2018 figures for the major increases are omitted. Fuel and power was about 6% in 1968, rather than close to 5%. Include a few more precise comparisons to develop the summary fully.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and separate paragraphs for each year. This makes the main information reasonably easy to locate. However, progression within the overview is weakened by the long list of categories, and the comparison is split by year rather than consistently linking the two years. Some connections are also unclear, as in “the spending of 1968 is compair to 2018,” while repeated references to “the year of 2018” and “both given years” make the writing feel repetitive. Grouping categories by whether they rose, fell, or stayed stable, and using clear links such as “whereas” and “by contrast,” would create a more coherent comparison.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use relevant chart vocabulary, including “percentage,” “spending,” “sector,” and “remained the same,” so the reader can generally understand the categories and trends. However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate, such as “the most amount of money was spend” and “spending in house.” There are also noticeable spelling errors, including “compair,” “diffrent,” “discresed,” and “teansport,” which reduce clarity and control. Use the chart’s category names consistently and choose precise reporting phrases, for example, “accounted for” or “rose to.” Checking spelling and word forms would make the description more fluent and reliable.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple statements and longer sentences, and the basic meaning is usually recoverable. However, grammatical control is uneven. The opening phrase “the spending of a families” has an article and plural error, while “the spending of 1968 is compair to 2018 was diffrent” has a faulty sentence structure and tense. In “the most amount of money was spend,” the passive verb form is incorrect; “was spent” is needed. Missing or misplaced punctuation, including the space after the full stop in the overview, also affects readability. Practise accurate comparisons and passive forms, and use shorter, complete sentences when a longer structure becomes difficult to control.

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