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 chart illustrate spend of weekly income of families in one country in 1968 and 2018.

Overall, a huge percentage of weekly income were spending on food and housing. While on the other hand least percentage of monthly income were consuming on fuel and power and personal goods.

Double percentage of income spent on food in 1968 as compare to 2018 of 35% and 17.5% respectively. Housing was consuming 10% in 1968 but it increased in 2018 up to 19%.In fuel and power lowest percentage was consumed 4% and 6% in 2018 and 1968 respectively. On clothing and footware half of monthly income spent in 2018 as compare to 1968.

Household goods remained constant in 2018 and 1968 nearly 7% of income per week. On personal goods 8% and 4% of weekly income spent in 1968 and 2018 respectively . In transport and leisure same percentage of weekly income spent in 1968 but increased up to 14% and 22% in 2018 respectively.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response covers the main features of the chart and makes relevant comparisons between 1968 and 2018. However, the analysis is somewhat mechanical and lacks a clear, cohesive overview. While the key trends are identified, the reporting of data is occasionally confusing, such as the statement regarding 'fuel and power' where the years and figures are presented in a way that is difficult to follow. The response would benefit from more precise grouping of data to highlight the most significant changes, such as the shift from essential spending (food) to lifestyle spending (leisure).

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The response is organised into paragraphs, but the logical flow between sentences is often disjointed. Cohesive devices are used, but they are frequently mechanical or misused, such as 'While on the other hand' at the start of a sentence. The referencing is sometimes unclear, particularly when comparing data across the two years. The progression of ideas is present, but the lack of smooth transitions between the different categories of spending makes the text feel like a list of facts rather than a cohesive report.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks variety and precision. There are several instances of awkward word choice, such as 'consuming on' instead of 'spent on' or 'expended on'. The student relies on basic terminology and repeats the same structures throughout the text. To reach a higher band, the student should use a wider range of synonyms for 'spending' and 'percentage' and improve their grasp of collocations related to data reporting.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The response contains frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. There are issues with subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'a huge percentage... were spending') and incorrect preposition usage (e.g., 'as compare to' instead of 'compared to'). The sentence structures are relatively simple, and there is a lack of complex grammatical forms. While the meaning is generally understandable, the frequency of errors in basic grammar prevents the response from reaching a higher band.

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

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