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 provides a clear data for one country and how the families spent their weekly earnings in 1968 and 2018.

In 1968, 35%(maximum) of total income goes behind Food and the Fuel and power was maybe not popular in 1968 so it takes minimum spending. In 2018 families spend their maximum earnings for entertainment and made better their leisure time. Housing is a basic need for human beings , in 1968 it was cheaper and only 10% of total income spend for Housing but after 5 decades it become more competitive and almost 20% of the income goes for Housing in 2018. Spending behind Fuel and power has not much difference but it came less then 5% in 2018. 10% income goes for Clothing and footware in 1968 and it became half of the percentage in 2018. Percentage behind spending in Household goods, both are same for this. Spending for personal goods was above 5% and it became less than 5% in 2018.

In 1968 Transport took almost 10% of the income but it increase dramatically and came almost 15%.

Overall, the maximum activities are basic needs but there has been located many changes and variety except Household

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify several important comparisons accurately: food was the largest category in 1968 at 35%, while leisure was highest in 2018 at about 22%; housing and transport also increased, and clothing fell by roughly half. You cover most categories, and the final reference to household goods being unchanged is relevant. However, the overview is unclear: “the maximum activities are basic needs” does not clearly summarise the main shift from food towards leisure, housing and transport. Some details are imprecise or unsupported, such as saying fuel was “not popular” and describing housing as “more competitive.” Develop the overview around the largest changes and report the figures directly, including the unchanged household-goods share, to make the key features clearer and more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response generally moves from 1968 comparisons to 2018 changes, and it includes an opening and a concluding overview. This gives the reader some overall organisation. However, most information is packed into one long paragraph, so comparisons between categories are difficult to follow. The final sentence is incomplete (“except Household”), which weakens the ending and leaves the overview unfinished. Linking phrases such as “but,” “and,” and “in 2018” are repeated, while some connections are unclear—for example, the shift from fuel to housing. Use separate paragraphs for the overview and the detailed comparisons, group related increases and decreases, and finish with a complete summary. This would create clearer progression and make the relationships between figures easier to track.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant chart vocabulary, including “weekly earnings,” “percentage,” “income,” and category names, and you attempt to describe change with phrases such as “increase dramatically.” However, several choices are unnatural or imprecise for an academic report: “goes behind Food,” “spending behind,” “made better their leisure time,” and “maximum activities” do not express the data clearly. “Not popular” also interprets spending as preference rather than reporting the proportion. Spelling and form issues such as “footware” reduce accuracy. Prefer neutral, precise collocations such as “accounted for,” “spent on,” “rose,” and “fell,” and use the chart’s category labels consistently. This will make your meaning more exact and appropriately formal.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and longer sentences, including comparisons joined with “but” and clauses beginning with “in 2018.” The main meaning is usually recoverable, but errors in verb forms, articles, agreement and sentence construction are evident. For example, “35% … goes” should use a past-tense form to match 1968, and “it become more competitive” needs a past-tense verb. In “only 10% of total income spend for Housing,” the sentence lacks a correctly formed passive or active structure. Punctuation is also inconsistent, including the space before the comma in “beings ,”. Practise accurate past-tense reporting and complete clause patterns, then check each sentence for a clear subject and verb. More reliable control would make your comparisons easier to understand.

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