Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

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

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 expenditure of single families in a country spent their weekly earnings in 1968 and 2018 is illustrates by provided bar diagrams .The figures given the data in percentage form.

Overall , in 1968 the family spent their highest earning in food whereas in 2018 leisure takes a top spot by spending highest earnings .However , in households goods the family spend equal in both year is the mostly notable aspects in the graph.

In 1968 , the family spent their highest weekly earning in the food with 35 % however in housing and clothing and footware they spent the equal earnings accounted with 10 % .In households goods ,personal goods and transports they spent slightly less than other bot same in each with 8 % but leisure take a lit bit 1 % more earnings than three of them with 9% .The least spot is occupied by fuel and power with 6% it is the lowest range among all of them .

In 2018, leisure is in the top list earning spent by families with 23 % .the family spent in housing 19 % which holds a second position in this graphs. Thereafter , in food family spent their 17% expenditure and in transports 14 % .Furthermore, in households goods families plan to expend remarkably low with 7 % .IN fuel and power and personal goods family seems least interested to invest their earning because it consists a least percentages which is under 5 % with 3 % .

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response covers the main features of the data and makes relevant comparisons between 1968 and 2018. You successfully identified the shift in spending from food to leisure and noted the stability in household goods. However, the report lacks precision in some areas; for instance, stating that household goods were 'equal in both years' is inaccurate based on the data (8% vs 7%). Additionally, some data points are slightly misreported, such as the 2018 figures for fuel and power. To improve, ensure that every figure cited is double-checked against the chart to maintain accuracy, and focus on grouping data more logically to highlight the most significant trends rather than listing every category individually.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organised into clear paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the information. You use some cohesive devices like 'Overall', 'However', and 'Furthermore' to link ideas. However, the flow is occasionally interrupted by mechanical phrasing and some awkward transitions. For example, the sentence 'In households goods, personal goods and transports they spent slightly less than other bot same in each with 8%' is difficult to follow due to poor sentence structure and referencing. To reach a higher band, focus on using a wider variety of linking words and ensure that your sentences flow naturally into one another without relying on repetitive structures.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

You have an adequate range of vocabulary to describe the data, using terms like 'expenditure', 'earnings', and 'percentage'. However, there are several instances of word-choice errors and awkward collocations, such as 'the least spot is occupied by' instead of 'the smallest proportion was accounted for by', and 'plan to expend' which is not appropriate for describing historical data. There are also some spelling errors like 'footware' (footwear) and 'bot' (both). To improve, work on using more precise academic vocabulary and ensure you are using words in their correct context to avoid confusion.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors throughout. Issues include subject-verb agreement ('the expenditure... is illustrates'), incorrect article usage, and awkward phrasing ('the family spent their highest earning in food'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, with several missing or misplaced spaces around commas and periods. While these errors do not completely prevent the reader from understanding the main points, they are frequent enough to impact the overall fluency of the text. Focusing on basic sentence construction and proofreading for subject-verb agreement would significantly improve your score.

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