Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-27

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 illustartes how family spent in eight different items on their weekly income between 1968 and 2018.

Overall, it is evident that food was the most common choice of people, although the figure fell a significant declined, while personal goods recorded the least popular in the stuff.

In 1968, food were by far the largest proportion at 35 percent but by 2018 it accounted for just over 15 percent and declined throught out the period. Similarly, in 1968, at the beginning house represented at 10 percent but, the number rose from 10 percent to just below 20 percent, while fuel and power and clothing and footware came next, with similar shares at just over 5 percent and 10 percent in 1968. After that, in 2018, the both shares followed a similar fell to just under 5 percent and 5 percent. Households goods was identical in both years, while personal goods, in 1968, the goods remain just over 5 percent and in 2018, the number showed a decline at just below 5 percent.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the two years and report several relevant comparisons, including food’s fall from 35% to just over 15%, housing’s rise from 10% to just below 20%, and household goods remaining unchanged. However, the overview is not fully accurate: food was the largest category in 1968, but leisure—not food—was largest in 2018, at about 22%. Personal goods were the smallest in 2018, but fuel and power shared the lowest figure at about 4%. The response also omits important changes in transport and leisure, and the final comparison is incomplete. To strengthen the report, give a clear overview of the main shifts across both years and cover the most notable categories more evenly.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and a paragraph of comparisons. Time markers such as “In 1968” and “by 2018” help readers follow the data. However, progression within the main paragraph is uneven, and some links are awkward or unclear. For example, “Similarly” introduces housing even though its trend differs from food’s, while “After that” does not clearly show the relationship between the categories. The final sentence joins household and personal goods without a clear transition, and the discussion stops before covering transport and leisure. Grouping categories by rising, falling, or stable shares would make the comparisons more coherent.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some task-relevant vocabulary, including “proportion,” “accounted for,” “shares,” and “decline,” which helps communicate comparisons. However, several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or unnatural, such as “the most common choice of people,” “the least popular in the stuff,” and “the figure fell a significant declined.” Spelling errors in “illustartes,” “throught,” and “footware” also reduce accuracy. Some terms are repeated, particularly “number” and “goods,” and “house” is used where the chart category is housing. Aim for precise chart language and accurate forms—for example, “accounted for the largest share” and “recorded the lowest proportion”—and check spelling before submitting.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including comparisons with “while” and clauses beginning “although.” However, control is inconsistent, and errors sometimes make relationships difficult to follow. Examples include “food were,” where the subject and verb do not agree, and “the both shares followed a similar fell,” which has faulty sentence structure. The sentence beginning “while personal goods” is also incomplete in its construction, and “the figure fell a significant declined” contains an incorrect grammatical form. Work on subject–verb agreement, complete clause structure, and forming comparisons accurately. Shorter, well-controlled sentences would help you express the data clearly while you build confidence with complex forms.

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