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 chart illustrates how families spent their weekly income in 1968 and in 2018. Units measured in percentage.

Overall, there was a declined flow in activites of families in 2018, compared with 1968. In contrast, spending on housing, transport and leisure climbed within 50 years time period. Whereas, families was spent similar amount of money on household goods.

In terms of food, there was a dramtically declined from 35 percent to about 22 percent in 2018.However spending on food remained at highest among others in 1968. Contrast by, spending money on housing expenses, was climbed sharply from 10% in 1968 to almost 19% respectively. While fuel and power, clothing and footware and personal goods gradually declined and remained at around 4 to 10 percent in both years.

On the other hand, household goods remained stable in both years at the rate of 8 percent almost. While Leisure goods climbed sharply almost 22 percent from 8 percent in 2018.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response covers the main features of the chart, identifying the key trends such as the decline in food spending and the rise in leisure and housing costs. However, the overview is slightly confusing, stating there was a 'declined flow in activities' which is not a clear summary of the data. While the main features are selected, some comparisons are inaccurate or poorly phrased, such as the claim that spending on household goods remained stable at 8 percent, when the chart shows a slight decrease. The response addresses the task requirements but lacks the precision needed for a higher band.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the use of cohesive devices is often mechanical or inaccurate. Phrases like 'Contrast by' and 'respectively' are used incorrectly, which disrupts the flow of information. The transition between ideas is sometimes abrupt, and the referencing of data points is occasionally unclear. While there is an overall logical arrangement, the lack of sophisticated linking words and the misuse of existing ones limit the coherence of the response.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks precision and variety. There are several spelling errors, such as 'dramtically' and 'footware', and word choice issues, such as 'declined flow' and 'at the rate of'. The range of vocabulary is limited to basic descriptors, and the student struggles to use more academic terminology effectively. While the meaning is generally clear, the frequent errors in word formation and collocation prevent a higher score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors throughout. Examples include 'families was spent', 'there was a dramtically declined', and 'spending money on housing expenses, was climbed'. These errors, particularly with verb tenses and passive voice construction, are noticeable. While the errors do not completely impede communication, they occur frequently enough to demonstrate a lack of control over complex structures.

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.