Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-08-28
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 chart illustrates the average weekly spending on different items like food, housing, fuel and power, clothing and footwear ,household goods, personal goods, transport, leisure by families in 1968 and 2018. Weekly income is measured in percentages.
Overall the food item has the highest ration among the all other items. While the fuel and power has the lowest ratio.
On food item, the families spent the most of their money in 1968 around 35%, but with the passage of time it goes on decreasing in 2018 around 16% Families also spent their most money in 2018 on housing and leisure item around 21%.On leisure people spent most of their money as recorded in 2018 by 21%
Remaining items like clothing and footwear, housing goods, personal goods, transport also show a simultaneously increase by in 2018.However the ratio of Household goods remain the same in 1968 and in 2018.
People are more attracted to leisure by 2018.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response covers the main features of the chart, such as the significant decline in food spending and the rise in leisure. However, the analysis is somewhat superficial and contains inaccuracies. For instance, stating that 'the ratio of Household goods remain the same' is incorrect, as the chart shows a slight increase from 1968 to 2018. Additionally, the claim that 'all other items' show a simultaneous increase is imprecise, as some categories fluctuated or decreased. The overview is present but lacks a clear synthesis of the most significant trends. To improve, ensure data points are accurately transcribed and focus on comparing the most dramatic shifts rather than listing items individually.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response is organized into paragraphs, but the logical progression is hindered by repetitive phrasing and awkward transitions. The use of cohesive devices is limited and sometimes mechanical, such as the repetitive use of 'in 1968 and in 2018'. The referencing is occasionally unclear, particularly when discussing 'remaining items' as a group, which obscures the specific data points. Paragraphing is present but the internal structure of the paragraphs could be improved to better group related trends. To reach a higher band, focus on using a wider variety of linking words and ensuring that each sentence flows naturally from the previous one.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks precision and variety. There is frequent repetition of basic terms like 'money', 'spent', and 'items'. Some word choices are unnatural, such as 'highest ration' (likely meaning 'proportion' or 'percentage') and 'household goods' being referred to as 'housing goods'. While the meaning is generally clear, the lack of sophisticated vocabulary and occasional errors in collocation limit the score. To improve, incorporate more precise terminology related to data description, such as 'expenditure', 'allocated', 'fluctuated', or 'remained stable'.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response uses a mix of simple and some complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors. Issues include subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'the food item has', 'fuel and power has'), incorrect preposition usage (e.g., 'on food item'), and awkward phrasing (e.g., 'it goes on decreasing'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, with missing spaces after commas. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are frequent enough to be distracting. Increasing the variety of complex structures and proofreading for basic grammatical accuracy would significantly improve the quality of the writing.
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.