Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-04
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)
This bar chart illustrate the comparison about how families in one country spent their weekly income in 1968 and in 2018.
Overall, people spent their most weekly income on food in 1968 as compared to others. But families in 2018 are spending less on food and they started to spending it on housing, leisure and transport. Fuel, clothing, household goods, personal good, were the least on the income get spendent by the families in 1968 and also in 2018.
People spent their income mostly on food in the year 1968 at 35%, it has a huge difference compared to others. Follwed by the housing and clothing and footware at 10%. Leisure stood at approximately 9%. Household goods, personal goods and transport are similar at percentage of 8. Least weekly income spented by the families is fuel and power at 6%.
Leisure is the highest proportion in 2018 at approx 22%. Followed by the housing at 19%. Food stood up at 16% which is half as compared to 1968. Transport get 14% of the weekly income. Household is similar as the 1968 at 8%. Clothing and footware is at 5%. Fuels and power and personal goods is similar and least income consumer in 2018 with the percentage of 4.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0
The response covers all key features of the data and makes relevant comparisons between 1968 and 2018. The overview is clear, highlighting the shift from food-dominated spending to leisure-dominated spending. However, the report could be improved by grouping the data more effectively rather than listing percentages for each category in a repetitive manner. While the main trends are identified, the analysis of the data is somewhat mechanical. The response successfully highlights the most significant changes, such as the halving of food expenditure and the rise of leisure, which satisfies the requirements for a Band 6.5 or 7.0 level of task coverage.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is logically organized into an introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs. The progression of ideas is generally clear, moving from the 1968 data to the 2018 data. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat repetitive and basic (e.g., 'Followed by', 'Leisure stood at'). There is a lack of sophisticated linking words to connect the comparisons between the two years more fluidly. Paragraphing is used appropriately, but the internal cohesion within paragraphs could be improved to avoid the list-like structure of the data presentation.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks variety and precision. There are several instances of awkward phrasing and word-choice errors, such as 'income get spendent' and 'personal good'. The student relies on simple verbs like 'spent' and 'stood at' throughout the response. While the meaning is always clear, the range is limited, and there is no attempt to use more sophisticated vocabulary or precise collocations related to financial data or trends. To reach a higher band, the student should incorporate more varied terminology for describing statistical changes.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that detract from the overall quality. Examples include subject-verb agreement issues ('This bar chart illustrate', 'Leisure... is the highest proportion'), incorrect verb forms ('income get spendent'), and awkward phrasing ('income get 14%'). While these errors do not impede communication, they are persistent throughout the text. The student needs to focus on basic subject-verb agreement and the correct use of passive voice to improve accuracy and demonstrate better control over sentence construction.
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.