Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-01

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 information about one countries weekly expenditure in between families in 1968 and 2018.

Overall, food, leisure and housing experience the highest percentages in 1968 and 2018. Fuel and power was the lowest spending expenditure in both period, while household goods and personal goods are same in percentage.

Looking at the weekly spending expenditure at food it accounted 35% in 1968 which was the highest spending by families, while in 2018 spending money on food was less then 1968 about 16%. In terms of leisure it was the second highest spending expenditure in 2018 around 22%. While spending on housing was 19% in 2018, whereas families less spent on housing in 1968 at 10%.

However, fuel and power was the least spending expenditure by families 6% and 4% in 1968 and 2018. Clothing and footware is also less spend in 2018 5% , household goods are remain same percentage in both year 7% spend by families. furthermore, personal goods and transport are same in spending percentage in 1968 7% but in 2018 increased around 14%.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response covers the main features of the chart, such as the decline in food expenditure and the rise in leisure and transport costs. However, the analysis is somewhat inconsistent. For instance, the statement that 'household goods and personal goods are same in percentage' is inaccurate based on the data provided. Additionally, some comparisons are confusing, such as the claim that families spent less on housing in 1968 at 10% compared to 2018 at 19%, which is correct, but the phrasing is awkward. The overview is present but lacks a clear synthesis of the most significant trends, focusing instead on listing individual data points.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the information. However, the use of cohesive devices is often mechanical or inaccurate. For example, the use of 'However' at the start of the third paragraph is inappropriate as it does not introduce a contrast to the previous paragraph. Referencing is sometimes unclear, such as 'both period' and 'both year', which are grammatically incorrect and hinder the flow. While there is a logical progression from an overview to specific details, the transitions between sentences could be smoother to improve the overall coherence.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, but there is a lack of precision and some repetitive phrasing. Phrases like 'spending expenditure' are redundant and unnatural. There are also errors in word choice, such as 'footware' (spelling) and 'less spend' instead of 'spent less'. The range of vocabulary is limited, relying heavily on basic terms like 'spending' and 'percentage'. To reach a higher band, you should incorporate more varied synonyms and precise collocations related to data description, such as 'expenditure', 'proportion', 'allocated to', or 'witnessed a shift'.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but grammatical errors are frequent and occasionally impede clarity. Common issues include subject-verb agreement ('household goods are remain'), incorrect verb forms ('families less spent'), and missing articles ('in one countries'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with commas. While the meaning is generally understandable, the frequency of these errors prevents the writing from reaching a higher band. Focusing on basic sentence construction and proofreading for common grammatical slips 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.