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 of average weekly spending by families in the year 1968 and in 2018 in a country.

Overall, spending percentage of families in 1968 is much more then 2018. whereas, 2018 spending were less or a little bit more in some categories. But their are times where 2018 families are ahead of the people in the past in spending weekly.

In 1968, people used to spend way much more on food about 35% verses in 2018 the percentage reduces back to 17% which is a massive drop. Families in 1968 also used to spend their hard-earned coins way more on clothing and footwear, fuel and power around 10% and 7%. Not to forget, that people back then used to spend 8% on personal goods and in 2018 the number dropped to 4%

Furthermore, the categories where 2018 leads are housing, transport and leisure round about 19%, 14% and 23%. While, the 1968 families were not even close to these figures. The only section where people spent equally is the household goods of which the percentage lies on 8%.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response covers the main features of the chart and makes relevant comparisons. However, the overview is somewhat vague and lacks precision, particularly in the second sentence where the phrasing is unclear. While the key trends (the decline in food spending and the rise in housing/leisure) are identified, the analysis could be more effectively supported by grouping the data more logically. The report addresses the prompt, but the lack of a clear, analytical overview prevents it from reaching a higher band. Some data points are mentioned, but the overall summary of the trends is slightly underdeveloped.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The response is organized into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the information. However, the use of cohesive devices is sometimes mechanical or slightly unnatural, such as 'Not to forget, that' and 'Whereas, 2018 spending were'. The progression of ideas is generally logical, but the transition between the overview and the body paragraphs could be smoother. Referencing is occasionally unclear, particularly when comparing the two years, which makes the flow of information feel a bit disjointed at times.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks the precision and sophistication required for a higher band. There are some informal or imprecise word choices, such as 'hard-earned coins' and 'way much more'. While the student successfully uses terms like 'percentage' and 'categories', the range is limited. There are also some minor errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'the percentage lies on 8%', which slightly detracts from the clarity of the report.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. However, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'spending percentage... is', '2018 spending were', 'their are times') and punctuation. These errors are noticeable but do not generally impede communication. The control over complex structures is inconsistent, and the reliance on simpler sentence patterns limits the overall grammatical range. Improving accuracy in basic sentence construction would significantly enhance the quality of the writing.

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

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