Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-11-01

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 table graph depicts about the weekly income in a country is spend on their basic needs which are essential for living from over an past years to the present year i.e 1968 and 2018.

overall, the most basic and important need was food in past years but as per future expenditure is on leisure is highest. Household goods has been equal in persentage then and now where others are comparitively always been fluctuating.

On the close observation, Food which is the most important at past to any individual to survive was in the year 1968 was 35% which had been highest and almost got half of its percentage in the year 2018 was 17% almost, Leisure percentage is highest in the year 2018 was 22% and again it was half the percentage of 1968 i.e only 9%.However,clothing and footwear and personal goods has been comparitivle negotiating each other with minimal differences personal good was in the year 1968 was nearly 10% and 2018 with 4% with minimal differnces for clothing and footwear. Housing has percentage of weekly income more in 2018 almost 20% and 1968 was 10%. Fule and power with less diiference and never exceed above 7% for both the years. Whereas, transport incresed in 2018 with weekly percentage about 15%, 1968 was 8%.

Household goods was equal

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You identify the main shift clearly: food was the largest category in 1968, while leisure became the largest in 2018, and you note that household-goods spending stayed equal. Several comparisons are also accurately reported, including food (35% to 17%), housing (10% to about 19%), and transport (8% to about 14%). This covers the key features and supports a strong response to the task. However, some details are unclear or inaccurate: personal goods were 8% in 1968, not nearly 10%, and the statement that clothing and personal goods were “negotiating each other” does not explain their separate trends. The overview’s claim that other categories were “always” fluctuating is also imprecise for a comparison of two years. More precise reporting of these smaller categories would strengthen the response further.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and a paragraph comparing figures. This helps the reader locate the main trends, and the contrast between food and leisure gives the report a useful organising focus. However, progression within the detail paragraph is uneven: categories are introduced in a loose sequence, and the final sentence, “Household goods was equal,” is left incomplete and repeats a point already made in the overview. Linking phrases such as “On the close observation” and “Whereas” do not always create clear relationships between ideas. Group the categories into meaningful comparisons, use transitions consistently, and finish with a complete sentence to make the report easier to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant chart vocabulary, including “percentage,” “weekly income,” “increased,” and “highest,” and you attempt to describe change with phrases such as “almost got half of its percentage.” However, the range is limited and several choices are inaccurate or unnatural, which sometimes makes the meaning difficult to interpret. For example, “table graph” is not an appropriate chart description, “negotiating each other” does not express a comparison, and “basic needs” is an unsupported characterisation of all the categories. Spelling errors such as “persentage,” “comparitively,” and “diiference” also reduce control. Use precise terms such as “share,” “proportion,” “rose,” and “fell,” and check spelling and collocations.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more extended sentences, including comparisons using “but,” “whereas,” and “which.” Nevertheless, many sentences contain errors in clause structure, agreement, tense, or punctuation, and these sometimes make the relationships between figures hard to follow. For instance, “The table graph depicts about the weekly income in a country is spend” has an incomplete and incorrectly formed clause; “Household goods has been equal” has subject–verb agreement problems; and “Food … was in the year 1968 was 35%” repeats the verb structure. Sentence boundaries are also unclear in “9%.However,clothing.” Practise writing shorter, complete comparison sentences first, then combine them accurately with subordinate clauses and consistent past-tense reporting.

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