Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-08-30

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 the information about how families in one country spent their weekly income proportion in 1968 and in 2018.

Overall, spending has total eight categories in which food has the highest figure recorded in 1968 while fuel and power has the lowest figure. In contrast in 2018,leisure has the highest proportion shown.

In 1968, food has the largest weekly spending by families which reach to 35%,then housing and clothing and footware grew to10%. afterthat, leisure at approximately 9% and remaining transport,personal goods,household goods at 8%. least one fuel and power at 65.

In 2018, leisure at at their highest at 22% weely income,housing roughly 18%, food about to 17%, transport round about 14%,hosehold goods

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 task. While the overview attempts to identify main trends, the description of the data is incomplete and stops abruptly in the second paragraph. Key features are mentioned, but the lack of completion means the task is only partially addressed. To improve, ensure all data categories are covered and that the response is of sufficient length to allow for a full comparison of the two years provided in the chart.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organised into an introduction and two body paragraphs, but the structure is undermined by the incomplete nature of the final paragraph. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'In contrast' and 'In 1968', but they are somewhat mechanical. The progression of ideas is hindered by the abrupt ending, which leaves the reader without a clear conclusion or a full summary of the 2018 data. Improving the logical flow between sentences and ensuring a complete, balanced structure would enhance the coherence of the response.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the range and precision required for higher bands. There are several errors in word choice and spelling, such as 'footware' instead of 'footwear' and 'hosehold' instead of 'household'. The phrasing is often repetitive, relying on basic structures like 'has the highest figure'. To achieve a higher score, you should incorporate more varied vocabulary related to data trends, such as 'accounted for', 'constituted', or 'experienced a significant shift', and ensure accurate spelling of technical terms.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The response contains a mix of simple and some attempted complex structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. Examples include 'spending has total eight categories', 'food has the largest weekly spending... which reach to 35%', and 'least one fuel and power at 65'. These errors in subject-verb agreement, tense consistency, and preposition usage are noticeable. To improve, focus on mastering basic sentence construction and proofreading for common errors in verb forms and prepositions before moving on to more complex sentence structures.

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

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