Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-08-17

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 below illustrates how families in a country spent their weekly money in two specific year.

Overall, families were spending most amount of their money on food through out the given period. Least amount of money was spent on fuel and power. While spending on households good remained stable in both years. The significant difference can be seen on leisure.

In 1968, families spent 35% of higher proportion of their income on food. 10% for housing and 10% on clothing and footware. Similarly, around 8% each on housing goods ,personal goods and transport. Additionally, they spent around 8% on leisure. Fuel accounted for the lowest proportion of their weekly spending approximately 4%.

In 2018, generally the families priority changed. Previously spent double of their weekly income on food of 35% dramatically decrease to 17%. While formerly spent around 8% on leisure rose significantly to around 23% consider higher proportion of spending in 2018. Household goods remained stable at 8%. Fuel and power and personal goods about 4%. Spending on housing rose to around 18%. Similarly, weekly spending on transport also rose to 14%.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response covers the main features of the chart and makes relevant comparisons between 1968 and 2018. You successfully identified the significant shift in food and leisure spending. However, the report is slightly hampered by inaccuracies in data reporting; for instance, you mention '35% of higher proportion' which is confusing, and the claim that 'spending on household goods remained stable' is contradicted by the data (which shows a shift from 8% to 5%). To improve, ensure that data points are transcribed precisely and that comparisons are clearly linked to the figures provided in the prompt.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is logically organized into an introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs. You use some cohesive devices such as 'While', 'Similarly', and 'Additionally' to connect ideas. However, the flow is occasionally disrupted by awkward phrasing and mechanical transitions. For example, the sentence 'Previously spent double of their weekly income on food of 35% dramatically decrease to 17%' is difficult to follow due to poor sentence structure. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring that each paragraph has a clear, unified focus would help achieve a higher band score.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You have a sufficient range of vocabulary to convey the main points, such as 'proportion', 'dramatically', and 'significantly'. However, there are several instances of word-choice errors and awkward collocations, such as 'weekly money' (instead of 'weekly income') and 'households good' (instead of 'household goods'). Additionally, the phrasing 'consider higher proportion' is grammatically incorrect. To reach a higher band, focus on using more precise academic vocabulary and ensuring that word forms (e.g., noun vs. adjective) are used correctly in context.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with verb tenses and subject-verb agreement, such as 'in two specific year' (should be 'years') and 'spending... remained stable' (when the data suggests otherwise). There are also issues with sentence fragments and awkward phrasing, such as '10% for housing and 10% on clothing and footware'. To improve, pay closer attention to pluralization, article usage, and ensuring that every sentence has a clear subject and verb.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

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