Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-08

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 illustrates the proportion of how families spending their weekly income between 1968 and 2018.

Overall, a significant increased in housing, transport and leisure were shown in 2018, while others were declining over the time.

In 1968, people were spent a large amount of money on food items and recorded as 35% per week, while in 2018, it plummeted to around 17%. However, a minor change also observed in fuel and power, personal goods and clothing and footwear in 2018.

There was no change in household goods and it remains the same of 8% in both years.

In 2018, people spent more money on leisure things and a surge to 22%, while in 1968 it was recorded as 9%. The transport service was also gradually rose around 14% weekly. Furthermore, people also spent on housing of around 19% in 2018, and there was the reduction of 9%.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response fails to meet the minimum word count requirement of 150 words, which negatively impacts the score. While you have identified the main features and trends, the analysis is somewhat superficial. For instance, you mention a 'reduction of 9%' for housing, but the data shows an increase from 10% to 19%. This factual inaccuracy regarding the data interpretation is a significant issue. Additionally, while you cover most categories, the lack of a clear, analytical comparison between the two years prevents a higher score. To improve, ensure you double-check your data points against the chart and provide a more thorough summary of the key changes.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into an introduction, an overview, and body paragraphs, which provides a basic structure. However, the logical progression is hindered by some awkward transitions and repetitive phrasing. While you use some cohesive devices like 'However' and 'Furthermore', the connection between ideas is sometimes mechanical. The paragraphing is present but could be more effectively used to group related categories (e.g., those that increased versus those that decreased). To improve, focus on using a wider variety of linking words and ensure that each paragraph has a clear thematic focus to guide the reader through your analysis.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

Your vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, but it lacks the precision and variety required for a higher band. You use some good descriptive verbs like 'plummeted' and 'surge', which is positive. However, there are instances of imprecise word choice, such as 'leisure things' and 'transport service', which sound unnatural in this context. Additionally, there are some minor errors in word formation, such as 'a significant increased' instead of 'a significant increase'. To improve, aim to use more academic collocations and ensure that your word forms are grammatically correct.

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 occasionally impede clarity. For example, 'people were spent' is incorrect passive voice usage, and 'a minor change also observed' is missing the auxiliary verb 'was'. There are also issues with subject-verb agreement and tense consistency, such as 'the transport service was also gradually rose'. While the meaning is generally understandable, these recurring errors suggest a lack of control over complex structures. Focus on mastering basic sentence construction and proofreading for tense consistency to improve your accuracy.

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.