Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-26

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 difference in weekly spending pattern of families in incomparison to 1968 to 2018.

The categories which have have seen a fall in weekling percentage fall are Food,clothing and footwear and personal goods ,with food whoing the highest fall in percentage going from 35% to17%

The categories in which the weekly spending increased are Housing,Transport and leisure ,with leisure seeing the highest increased in percentage going from 9% to 22% followed by housing going from 10% to 19%.

the only area of spending which has stayed constant is household good where weekly spening has stayed at around 8%.

The highest spening goes towards Food ,housing and leisure totally in at almost 60% while the same catergories total at 54% in 1968 showing there has been an increased of around 5% mostly attributed by the in creased speninf on leisure.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify several important movements accurately: food falls from 35% to 17%, leisure rises from 9% to 22%, housing increases from 10% to 19%, and household goods remains at about 8%. This gives the reader a useful selection of comparisons. However, the overview is incomplete: fuel and power also declines, from 6% to 4%, and transport rises from 8% to 14%, but neither is reported. The final comparison of the three largest categories is also unclear and inaccurate: food, housing and leisure total about 58% in 2018 and 54% in 1968, rather than “almost 60%” and 54% with an increase of around 5%. The response is 143 words, below the required 150, and needs fuller, clearer coverage of the main features.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a generally understandable arrangement: it groups categories that fell, categories that rose, and the category that stayed stable, before adding a concluding comparison. This helps the reader follow the main direction of change. However, the opening sentence is difficult to interpret, and the paragraphing is not clearly developed into an introduction, overview and supporting details. Some links are mechanical, such as repeatedly beginning with “The categories,” while the final sentence combines several comparisons without making their relationship clear. Improve progression by giving a concise introduction, then an overview of the largest changes, followed by grouped details. Use linking phrases selectively and make sure each comparison clearly identifies the year and figures being discussed.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant chart vocabulary, including “weekly spending,” “percentage,” “increased,” “fall,” and “stayed constant,” so the topic is generally clear. There is also some attempt to vary phrasing, for example “the highest fall” and “the highest increased.” However, several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or awkward, including “highest increased,” “totally in,” and “in comparison to 1968 to 2018.” Spelling errors such as “weekling,” “spening,” “catergories,” and “in creased” are noticeable and reduce precision. Aim for accurate, natural expressions such as “the largest increase,” “accounted for a total of,” and “compared with.” Proofreading spelling and word forms would make your comparisons easier to understand.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple statements and longer comparative sentences, and the main trends can usually be understood. For example, “the only area of spending which has stayed constant” communicates the stable category, while the sentence about leisure and housing attempts to compare two increases. However, sentence control is uneven. The opening phrase “in incomparison to 1968 to 2018” has an unclear grammatical relationship, and “with food whoing the highest fall” does not form a correct clause. There are also problems with articles, singular/plural forms and punctuation, as in “household good where weekly spening has stayed.” Use complete, clearly structured sentences and check agreement and clause construction. A wider range of accurate comparative structures would improve clarity.

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