Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-07-25
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)
This bar chart illustrate the camparison of people in a specific area, How they spend their weekly money in ,1968 and in 2018.
They utilize their seven days budget in different ways, such as food, Housing, fuel, clothing and shoes, Household goods, personal goods, transport, and Leisure.
In 1968 cusine consuption was 35 moreover food expensive was almost 17 in 2018.
Housing rent was 10 in 2018, but in 2018 housing was 19.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response fails to meet the minimum word count requirement of 150 words, reaching only 73 words. Because the response is significantly under-length, it is impossible to provide a full summary or make the necessary comparisons required by the task. The content provided is fragmented and lacks a clear overview of the main trends. Several data points are mentioned, but they are inaccurate or confusingly presented (e.g., the comparison of housing costs). To improve, you must ensure you cover all categories and provide a comprehensive analysis of the data, including an overview paragraph and detailed comparisons between the two years.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response lacks a clear logical structure. There is no introduction, overview, or body paragraphing. The sentences are disjointed, and there is a lack of cohesive devices to link ideas together. The transition between the opening statement and the data points is abrupt. To improve, you should organize your report into four distinct paragraphs: an introduction, an overview of the main trends, and two body paragraphs that group related data points together. Using linking words like 'whereas', 'in contrast', and 'while' will help improve the flow of your writing.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is very limited and repetitive. There are several spelling errors, such as 'illustrate' (should be 'illustrates'), 'camparison', 'cusine', 'consuption', and 'expensive' (used incorrectly instead of 'expenditure'). The range of vocabulary is insufficient to describe trends or data effectively. To improve, you should learn specific collocations for describing charts, such as 'expenditure on', 'accounted for', 'a significant increase', or 'remained stable'. Expanding your vocabulary to include more precise terms for financial data will significantly enhance your score.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response contains frequent grammatical errors that impede clarity. Examples include subject-verb agreement issues ('This bar chart illustrate'), incorrect preposition usage, and awkward sentence construction. The range of structures is very limited, consisting mostly of simple sentences. There is no evidence of complex sentence structures. To improve, focus on mastering basic sentence patterns, subject-verb agreement, and the correct use of articles. Once you have a solid foundation, practice incorporating complex sentences using relative clauses or subordinating conjunctions to demonstrate a wider grammatical range.
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