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 given information about how families in one country spent their weekly income in 1968 and in 2018.

Overall it is clear that, Food is highest percentage of amount spend on weekly and followed by housing.The second highest proportion of transport and leisure on their money spent, very lowest income spend on clothing and footware,household goods,personal goods.Finally,least percentage of amount using fuel and power families weekly spend.

Looking at the details, in 1968 food is most of the people using highest amount spent on their weekly income is 35% and another year only 17% of people spending.While,housing followed by food,it is begun year 10% spent on money but will last year increased spent on money 19% amount and similar to leisure activity 8% to 23%.Furthermore,transport accounted second highest money spent on people their weekly income 8% to 15%.Clothing and footware lowest amount of family useing 5% to 10% rise.Remaind stable household goods almost same amount of spent on weekly income both years 8%.Turning the last point,least amount use for fuel and power.

In summary,most of the people their weekly income spend on food and housing.Followed by,leisure and transport.The very least amount using people for fuel and power.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You cover the main categories and make relevant comparisons between the two years. The clearest accurate points are the fall in food spending from 35% to 17%, the rise in housing from 10% to 19%, and the increase in transport. However, some figures and rankings are inaccurate: leisure rose from 9% to about 22%, not 8% to 23%, and clothing fell from 10% to 5%, rather than rising from 5% to 10%. The overview also says food was highest overall, although leisure was the largest category in 2018. Fuel and power was the smallest category in both years, but this key comparison could be stated more clearly. More precise reporting and a balanced overview would strengthen the response.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, an overview, a detail paragraph and a concluding summary. It also groups several comparisons together, such as food and housing, which helps the reader follow the main changes. However, progression is weakened by repetition: the final paragraph repeats the overview without adding information, and the overview itself lists categories in a confusing order. Linking phrases such as “Furthermore,” “Turning the last point,” and “Finally” are sometimes mechanical or do not clearly signal the relationship between ideas. Organise the details into clearer comparisons—for example, categories that rose versus those that fell—and use fewer, more precise transitions.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use relevant chart vocabulary, including “percentage,” “accounted,” “increased,” and “stable,” so the topic is generally clear. However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are unnatural, such as “amount spend on weekly,” “people spending,” and “least amount use.” These phrases sometimes make the intended comparison difficult to understand. There are also spelling errors in “footware” and “useing,” and repeated use of “amount” and “spent” reduces precision. Aim for standard expressions such as “accounted for,” “the proportion allocated to,” and “spending on.” More accurate category-specific vocabulary would help you describe changes without relying on vague wording.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more extended sentences, including comparisons such as “housing … increased … 10% … 19%” and the sentence beginning “Furthermore.” However, many sentences contain errors in articles, verb forms, agreement, or sentence construction. For example, “Food is highest percentage” needs an article and a clearer structure, while “it is begun year 10% spent” does not form a grammatical comparison. Commas and spaces are also missing in places, and some sentences run together, as in “spending.While.” These problems can make relationships between figures unclear. Practise building accurate comparison patterns, such as “Food spending fell from 35% to 17%,” before adding more complex clauses.

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