Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-10

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 bar chart depicts expenditure of a families in one country from their weekly income in 1968 and in 2018.

Overall, in 1968 around 35% of the income was spent on food products which was higher than the other categories, while in 2018 it decreased to nearly 17%. Most of the income in 2018 was spent on leisure. In housing, 10% were spent during 1968 and than it became almost double in 2018. Lowest expenditure was on fuel and power in both the year compared to others. For the household goods income remains equal in both years about 7%. The expenses on transport was 7% in 1968 and 14% in 2018; it was doubled than which was in 1968. In 2018, there was same proportion of income were share between fuel and power and on personal goods.

The most of the income was spent on foods, housing and leisure as compared to others.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response covers the main features of the chart, including the significant shift in food expenditure and the rise in leisure spending. However, the report is somewhat mechanical and lacks a clear, analytical overview. While you identified the main trends, the summary at the end is redundant and does not add value. To improve, ensure that your overview highlights the most significant changes (e.g., the reversal of food and leisure spending) rather than listing individual data points. Some comparisons are present, but they could be more sophisticated to better highlight the contrast between the two years.

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 somewhat repetitive and mechanical (e.g., 'In housing', 'In 2018', 'For the household goods'). The progression of ideas is logical, but the transition between sentences could be smoother. The final sentence is disconnected from the rest of the report and feels like an afterthought. Using a wider variety of linking words and ensuring that each paragraph has a clear focus would improve the flow and coherence of your writing.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks variety and precision. You rely on basic terms like 'spent', 'income', and 'expenditure'. There are also some minor errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'income remains equal' (instead of 'expenditure remained stable') and 'same proportion of income were share' (grammatically incorrect). To reach a higher band, try to incorporate more varied vocabulary related to trends and data, such as 'allocated', 'accounted for', 'witnessed a decline', or 'remained constant'.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

There is a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but the accuracy is inconsistent. You have several grammatical errors, such as 'expenditure of a families' (should be 'expenditure of families'), 'than it became' (should be 'then it became'), and 'same proportion of income were share' (should be 'was shared'). Additionally, there are issues with subject-verb agreement and article usage. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they occur frequently enough to lower the score. Focus on proofreading for basic subject-verb agreement and tense consistency.

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

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