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)

The graph demonstrates how families in one country spent their weekly income in 1968 and 2018. This chart has details about almost everythings about livinng expenses and accomendation.

In 1968, families spended 35 % of income for their food, which watch the most in amount. Expense of house was 10 %, fuel and power was about 7% and clothing was same amount as well as housing that is 10 %. Household, personal good and transport cost wast similar about 8%. The expenses for leisure wast 9% of their weekly income. In the year of 2018, resident spended 17% on food, 19% on housing, 4% on fuel and power and 5% on the clothing. Cost of household good is 8 %, personal goods 4%, transport 14 % and last one leisure is 22%.

In this table we can se huge difference in food, housing and leisure sections. In 1968 the most expenses was in food but in 2018 i was leisure spending. In 2018 housing is double expensive than year of 1968. Familes are spended just 8% of thier income for leisure but in 2018 it climed to 22%. All other cost are like similiar to each other.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response covers the main features of the data, identifying the significant shifts in spending between 1968 and 2018. You successfully highlighted the decline in food expenditure and the rise in leisure and housing costs. However, the analysis is somewhat mechanical, listing percentages rather than synthesizing the information effectively. To reach a higher band, ensure that comparisons are more analytical, such as noting that food was the primary expense in 1968, whereas leisure became the dominant category in 2018. The overview is present but could be more clearly integrated to highlight the most striking trends across the two decades.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The response is organized into logical paragraphs, with an introduction, body paragraphs for the data, and a summary of trends. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat repetitive and occasionally mechanical (e.g., 'In 1968', 'In 2018', 'In this table'). The transition between sentences could be smoother to improve the flow of information. While the paragraphing is appropriate, the internal cohesion within paragraphs relies heavily on simple listing rather than sophisticated linking words or referencing, which limits the overall coherence of the report.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary is adequate for the task, allowing you to convey the necessary information about spending categories. However, there are several instances of word-choice errors and non-standard phrasing, such as 'spended' (should be 'spent'), 'resident spended', and 'double expensive' (should be 'twice as expensive'). The range of vocabulary is somewhat limited and repetitive, relying on basic terms like 'cost' and 'expense'. To improve, try to incorporate more varied synonyms and precise collocations related to financial data, such as 'expenditure', 'accounted for', 'allocated to', or 'witnessed a significant increase'.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede the reader's flow. Common issues include incorrect verb forms ('families spended', 'wast similar'), subject-verb agreement errors, and missing articles. Punctuation is generally functional, but there are minor errors in sentence construction. While the meaning is usually clear, the frequency of these errors prevents the writing from reaching a higher band. Focusing on consistent verb tense usage and proofreading for basic grammatical accuracy would significantly improve the quality of your 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.