Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-08-27

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 graph illustrates the how families utilize their weekly earnings in a single country in1968 and in 2018.

Overall, spending the weekly income on food remained as the champion and then followed by housing in 1968. While fuel and power resembled at the last place.

Whereas, in 2018, leisure toped the table with around 22% of spending the weekly income. Then housing was followed after leisure with almost 20%. However, household goods remained changed with approximately 7% since 1968 to 2018.

While, spending weekly income on transportation got hiked in 2018 compared to 1968 holding almost 15% in 2018. But whereas, spending clothing and footware got declined in 2018 compared to 1968.

While, spending on personal goods even got declined in 2018 compared to 1968.

Spending on fuel and power, had also decreased in 2018.

Even spending weekly earnings on food had seen a drastic decrement in 2018 to almost 15%.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response covers the main features of the data, identifying key trends such as the shift in spending from food to leisure. However, the report is somewhat fragmented and lacks a clear, cohesive structure. While the main points are identified, the comparison between 1968 and 2018 is occasionally repetitive and lacks analytical depth. The overview is present but could be more effectively integrated to highlight the most significant changes. Some data points are mentioned, but the overall summary lacks the synthesis required for a higher band.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The response is organized into paragraphs, but the flow between sentences is often mechanical. The use of cohesive devices is repetitive, with 'while' and 'whereas' being used excessively and sometimes incorrectly at the start of sentences. The progression of ideas is somewhat disjointed, as the report jumps between categories without a clear logical sequence. Paragraphing is present, but the internal structure of the paragraphs is weak, making the text feel like a list of observations rather than a cohesive report.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks variety and precision. There are several instances of awkward phrasing, such as 'champion' to describe spending habits, 'toped the table', and 'got hiked'. The repetition of 'spending the weekly income' and 'got declined' limits the range of expression. While the meaning is generally clear, the lexical choices are basic and occasionally inappropriate for a formal report. More precise terminology related to data description would improve the score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response contains a mix of simple and complex structures, but there are frequent errors in grammar and punctuation. Examples include 'illustrates the how', 'remained changed', and the misuse of 'but whereas'. There are also issues with subject-verb agreement and awkward sentence construction, such as 'spending the weekly income on food remained as the champion'. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they occur frequently enough to detract from the overall quality of the writing.

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

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