Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-11-03

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 following bar graph illustrates that how families in one country spent their weekly income in 1968 and in 2018. It illustrates the difference of families spent amount in two different centuries.

Overall, eights type of things are given which differentiate the year 1968 from 2018. Many changes are done in their spending.

Placing look, in 1968 people spent more on food about 35%. They spent about 10% on housing, a mere 5% on fuel and power. They also spent 10% of their income on clothing and footwear, about 7% on household goods, some of their personal goods and on transport. They spent about less than 10% on leisure.

On the other side, in 2018 people spent about 15% on food and about 20% on housing. They spent less than 5% on fuel and power. They spent 5% on clothing and footwear. They also spent 7% on household goods and about 4% on personal goods. They spent about 15% on transport and more than 25% in leisure.

Overall, there is huge gap between years 1968 and 2018. Many things are changed now. The opinion of people how to spend their weekly income also changed.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the two years and report several relevant categories, including the sharp fall in food spending and increases in housing, transport and leisure. However, the overview is vague: “Many changes are done” and “there is huge gap” do not clearly summarise the main pattern. Some figures are also inaccurate or imprecise: leisure in 2018 was about 22%, not more than 25%, and household goods were about 8% in both years rather than 7%. The 1968 figures for personal goods and transport are also not clearly distinguished. To strengthen the response, give a concise overview of the largest shifts and report the key comparisons accurately, including that leisure became the largest category in 2018.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, an overview and separate paragraphs for each year. This helps the reader follow the basic comparison. However, progression is weakened by the vague overview and the repeated sentence pattern “They spent…” in both detail paragraphs. Phrases such as “On the other side” and “Placing look” do not connect ideas naturally, while the final paragraph repeats the general point that spending changed without adding a useful comparison. Grouping the most important rises and falls, and using clearer links such as “By contrast” or “Meanwhile,” would make the organisation more purposeful. Keep the overview focused on the main trends rather than repeating a general conclusion.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use relevant topic vocabulary such as “weekly income,” “housing,” “fuel and power” and “leisure,” so the categories are generally understandable. However, the range is limited and several expressions are inaccurate or unnatural, including “illustrates that how,” “difference of families spent amount,” “eights type of things” and “Many changes are done.” “On the other side” is also an awkward way to introduce the 2018 figures. These choices sometimes make the meaning less clear and keep the description from sounding precise. Use standard chart-reporting language, such as “the proportion spent on,” “accounted for,” “rose” and “fell,” and check spelling and word forms, including “footwear.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

Most sentences use simple past-tense statements, and the reader can usually understand the intended comparisons. However, the range of sentence structures is limited, and errors recur in basic patterns. For example, “illustrates that how” has an incorrect clause structure, while “Many changes are done” uses an unsuitable passive construction. “The opinion of people how to spend their weekly income also changed” is also difficult to parse because the clauses are not joined correctly. Practise forming accurate comparison sentences with clauses such as “while” and “whereas,” and check articles, agreement and sentence boundaries. More varied structures will help you express the trends without relying on repeated short statements.

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