Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-08-18

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 given bar graph depicts the data of weekly expenditure of the families in the years 1969 to 2018.

Overall,It is clearly seen that families spend maximum on food in 1968. Whereas,in 2018 individual shows more interest in leisure.fuel and power holds lowest spending in both year.

In detail,in 1968,Food was accounted for highest invested by individual,in which they spent 35% of their weekly income.followed by housing,clothing and footwear with 10% of natives weekly spending in same year.household and personal goods,transport and leisure recorded for almost holding 5% of people weekly salary.

In the year of 2018, nearly 15% of weekly spending can be seen in food and housing.leisure was guaranteed at holding

nearly 25% of people's weekly income.meanwhile,fuel and power,clothing,household and personal goods and transport stood below of 15%.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response fails to meet the minimum word count requirement of 150 words, which significantly impacts the ability to fully develop the response. While you have identified the main trends, such as the shift from food to leisure, the analysis is under-developed. You have provided some data points, but the lack of sufficient detail and the failure to reach the minimum length mean the task is only partially addressed. To improve, ensure you provide a more comprehensive overview and include more specific data comparisons between the two years to meet the length requirement and provide a more thorough summary.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organised into paragraphs, which is a positive step. However, the use of cohesive devices is mechanical and sometimes inaccurate, such as the repetitive use of 'in' and 'of'. The transition between ideas is often abrupt, and the lack of a clear, logical flow between the overview and the body paragraphs makes the text feel disjointed. To improve, use a wider variety of linking words and phrases (e.g., 'in contrast', 'subsequently', 'whereas') to connect your ideas more fluidly and ensure that each paragraph has a clear focus.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is somewhat limited and repetitive. You rely on basic terms like 'spent', 'show', and 'invested', which are not always used in the correct context. For example, 'Food was accounted for highest invested' is grammatically and lexically awkward. There is an attempt to use some topic-specific vocabulary, but it is not used with sufficient precision. To improve, focus on using more varied synonyms and collocations related to data reporting, such as 'expenditure', 'allocated to', 'accounted for', and 'experienced a significant rise'.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

There are frequent errors in grammar and punctuation that occasionally impede readability. Issues include incorrect verb forms ('individual shows', 'Food was accounted for'), missing articles, and inconsistent capitalisation. The sentence structures are mostly simple, with limited attempts at complex sentences. To improve, focus on subject-verb agreement, correct article usage, and varying your sentence structure. Proofreading for basic punctuation and capitalisation errors will also help improve the overall accuracy of your writing.

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

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