Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-30

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 presents detail about how households spending their average weekly expenditure in one state in 1968 and in 2018.

Overall, weekly money spent on food had the highest proportion in one year, which is overtaken by leisure in next year. while, least money was spent on fuel and power, also on clothing and footware, and personal goods.

Money spent by food had the proportion of 35 per cent in 1968, which massively decreased to around 16 per cent in 2018. Followed by housing which accounted for an increased of around 19 per cent in 2018 from 10 per cent in 1968. However, the proportion of leisure increased from around 9 per cent to around 23 per cent.

Furthermore, transport experienced an increase of around 14 per cent in 2018 from around 7 per cent in 1968. While least money spent on fuel and power an

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify the main shift from food being the largest category in 1968 to leisure leading in 2018, and you report several relevant figures, including food at 35% and housing rising from 10% to about 19%. However, the response is incomplete: the final sentence breaks off, and several categories are not adequately covered, including clothing and footwear, household goods and personal goods. The overview also inaccurately groups clothing and personal goods with the lowest spending, although fuel and power is the lowest in both years. The response contains 146 words, below the required 150. To strengthen the report, complete the comparison and include a concise overview of the most important increases and decreases.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, an overview and paragraphs reporting figures. Linking expressions such as “Overall,” “However” and “Furthermore” help signal relationships between points. Nevertheless, progression is weakened by the unfinished final sentence (“While least money spent on fuel and power an”) and by the abrupt transition between some comparisons. The overview’s list of the least-spent categories is also difficult to follow because it combines categories that do not share the same ranking. Organise the details into clearer comparisons—for example, categories that rose and those that fell—and ensure every sentence is complete. This would make the report easier to follow without relying on isolated linking words.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant vocabulary for describing data, including “proportion,” “accounted for” and “increased,” and the reader can generally understand the comparisons. However, the range is limited and several phrases are unnatural or imprecise, such as “how households spending their average weekly expenditure” and “Money spent by food.” “Massively decreased” is also too informal for an academic report, while “footware” is misspelled. Repeated use of “around” and “money spent” limits variety. Aim for accurate collocations such as “households’ weekly expenditure,” “the share allocated to food,” and “fell substantially.” Check spelling and use neutral, precise language to describe proportions and changes.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

There are attempts to use complex sentences, particularly with relative clauses such as “which massively decreased” and comparisons using “from … to …”. However, grammatical control is inconsistent, and errors sometimes make the meaning difficult to follow. The opening phrase “how households spending” lacks a correctly formed verb, and “which is overtaken by leisure in next year” has problems with tense and article use. The sentence beginning “While least money spent…” is incomplete, and “housing which accounted for an increased” uses an incorrect grammatical form. Practise complete sentence structures and accurate past-tense reporting. A useful pattern is: “Housing accounted for 10% in 1968, rising to 19% in 2018.”

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