Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-28

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 information about how families in one country spent this weekly income from the given years in 1968 and in 2018.

Overall, it is noticeable that food dominating the whole given categories and then droped significantly, whereas lesiure and housing saw notable increases.

in 1968 the expenditure on food was so high approximately at peak point about 35%.A similar downward trend was observed in several other categories. Expenditure on clothing and footwear halved from 10% to 5%, while fuel and power fell from roughly 6% to under 5%. Meanwhile, spending on household goods and personal goods remained relatively stable, both hovering around 5% to 8% across the fifty-year period. where leasuire activity accounted only 8% in 1968 and about 24% in 2018. Housing accounted for 10% Where in 2018 it was only 18.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the main shift well: food was the largest category in 1968 and fell substantially, while leisure and housing increased. Several comparisons are relevant, including clothing falling from 10% to 5% and household goods staying broadly stable. However, the account is incomplete: it omits transport’s rise from 8% to 14%, and the overview does not clearly summarise the other major changes. Some figures are inaccurate: leisure is about 22%, not 24%, in 2018, and housing is about 19%, not 18%. The final housing comparison is also unfinished. The response contains 129 words, below the required 150, which limits how fully you can report and compare the data. Add a concise overview and cover the key categories more completely.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

There is a basic overall structure, with an opening, an overview and details, and the reader can follow the broad contrast between falling food spending and rising leisure and housing. Linking expressions such as “Overall,” “whereas” and “Meanwhile” help connect some comparisons. However, progression is uneven: the detail paragraph moves from food to clothing and fuel, then household and personal goods, before returning to leisure and housing. The final sentence is incomplete in meaning, and “where” at the start of a sentence does not clearly link the preceding point. Use separate, logically grouped paragraphs—for example, decreases and stable categories, then increases—and make each comparison a complete sentence with clear references.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use a reasonable range of task-related vocabulary, including “expenditure,” “downward trend,” “remained relatively stable” and “accounted for.” These choices communicate the main patterns and show some variety beyond basic words such as “spent.” However, spelling and word-choice errors are noticeable, including “droped,” “lesiure” and “leasuire,” and “food dominating” is not expressed naturally in this sentence. “At peak point” is also awkward, while “leisure activity” does not accurately name the spending category. Aim for precise chart language and check spelling carefully; phrases such as “food accounted for the largest share” and “leisure spending rose” would be clearer and more natural.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex structures, including the contrast in “food … then dropped significantly, whereas leisure and housing saw notable increases” and the comparison using “while.” However, control is inconsistent, and several errors make the response less clear. The overview lacks a finite verb in “food dominating,” and “in 1968 the expenditure on food was so high approximately at peak point” has an awkward, incomplete structure. The sentence beginning “where leisure activity…” is not properly connected, and “Housing accounted for 10% Where in 2018…” contains faulty sentence construction and punctuation. Use complete sentences, check verb forms and articles, and avoid joining separate comparisons with a capitalised “Where.”

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