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)

Here the bar graph demonstrates the data about how families use their weekly income in one country in years 1968 and 2018.

Overall, it is quite evident that most of money spent on food in 1968. However leisure and housing take most part of money in 2018.It shows that in both year families spend money in differents criteria.

In 1968, most amount of money spent on food (35%), fuel and power (approximately 7%), clothing and footwear (10%), personal goods (approximately 10%). However for these four categories money spent is approximately half, food (around 18%), fuel and power (around 4%), clothing and footwear (around 5%), personal goods (around 4%).

In 2018, most amount of money spent on leisure activities (approximately 22%), housing (approximately 20%), transport (approximately 15%). While for these categories half money spent in 1968. One common type where money spent at a same percentage that was house hold goods (around 8%) in 1968 and 2018.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response covers the main features of the chart and makes relevant comparisons. However, the analysis is somewhat mechanical and lacks a clear, cohesive overview of the trends. While the data points are generally accurate, the grouping of information is slightly disjointed, particularly in the second paragraph where the comparison between 1968 and 2018 is presented in a fragmented way. To reach a higher band, you should focus on synthesizing the data rather than just listing percentages, and ensure the overview clearly highlights the most significant shifts, such as the decline in food spending versus the rise in leisure and housing costs.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat repetitive and mechanical (e.g., 'In 1968', 'In 2018', 'However'). The transition between sentences is occasionally abrupt, and the referencing is sometimes unclear, such as the phrase 'While for these categories half money spent in 1968', which is grammatically awkward and hinders the flow of information. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring that each sentence connects smoothly to the next would significantly enhance the coherence of the response.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task but remains quite basic. You rely on simple phrasing like 'most amount of money spent' and 'money spent' repeatedly. There is an attempt to use some topic-specific vocabulary (e.g., 'leisure activities', 'personal goods'), but the range is limited. To improve, you should incorporate more precise synonyms and collocations related to financial data, such as 'expenditure', 'allocated to', 'accounted for', or 'witnessed a significant decrease'. The spelling is generally accurate, but the lack of lexical variety prevents a higher score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response contains a mix of simple and some complex structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that affect clarity. For example, 'most of money spent on food' is missing an article, and 'in both year families spend money in differents criteria' contains pluralization and preposition errors. Additionally, several sentences are fragments or lack a main verb, such as 'However for these four categories money spent is approximately half'. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are frequent enough to limit the score. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and article usage will help improve your accuracy.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.