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 bar chart outline the record of families of one country, and how they usaully spent their weekly income in different way in the year of 1968 and 2018.

Overall,the people spend more part of their weekly income on food in 1968,moreover in 2018 the trend is change and mostly people spend money on Leisure.Addtionally, the people where less part of the money is fuel and power in both of years respectivelty.

In 1968 people spend huge amount of their weekly income on food which percentage is peak at with 35% of their income.while in 2018, the trend is slightly down at 18% of their income.Housing and leisure also a part their people spend a lot of money, 10% on housing in 1968 but after the period the trend is slightly increase at 18%.subsequently,the spending on leisure in 1968 is only 8% and 2018 is increase up at 22%.Addtionally, the trend where people less spend there money is fuel and power or household goods almost same at 8% i both years repectively.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the main contrast: food takes the largest share in 1968, while leisure is highest in 2018, and you include several relevant figures. The overview also notes that fuel and power is a small category in both years. However, some details are inaccurate or unclear: food in 2018 is about 17%, not 18%, and household goods remains at about 8% in both years rather than being among the lowest categories. Fuel and power is the smallest in 2018, but not in 1968, when it is about 6%. The response also omits notable changes in transport and clothing. More precise comparisons and a fuller selection of key changes would make the summary more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure, moving from an introduction to an overview and then to details, so the reader can follow its general direction. However, the final paragraph combines several categories in long, crowded sentences, and the sequence of comparisons is not always easy to track. Connectors such as “moreover,” “additionally” and “subsequently” are used mechanically or do not clearly express the relationship between ideas. For example, the sentence about fuel, power and household goods is difficult to interpret. Use separate sentences or group categories by whether their shares rose, fell or stayed stable, and make each linking phrase show a clear relationship.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some task-relevant vocabulary, including “weekly income,” “percentage,” “trend” and “spending,” and the reader can generally understand the categories being compared. However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are unnatural, such as “the record of families,” “spend huge amount” and “the trend is slightly down.” Spelling errors, including “usaully,” “Addtionally” and “repectively,” also make the writing less polished. Aim for precise chart language such as “accounted for,” “share,” “rose” and “fell,” and check spelling carefully. Avoid repeating “trend” when a direct verb can describe the change more clearly.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, and the overall meaning is usually recoverable. However, some errors in sentence structure, agreement, articles and punctuation reduce clarity. For example, “The bar chart outline” needs subject–verb agreement, while “Housing and leisure also a part their people spend” is missing grammatical elements. Several sentences run together after full stops, as in “35% of their income.while in 2018,” and clauses are joined without clear punctuation. Practise building complete sentences with a clear subject and verb, and use full stops and commas consistently. More accurate control of these patterns would make your comparisons easier to read.

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