Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-17
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 illustrates the data of spending weekly income on different things in 1968 and 2018. Looking from an perspectives it is apparent that highest spending on food in 1968 while the lowest spending on fuel and power.
Firstly, the spending on the food was at 35% of the weekly income which was double than spending on food in 2018, moreover the spending on housing was 18% in 2018 which was higher than 1968 spending which was standing at 10% of weekly income. Moreover, fuel and power was expenditures in 1968 was slightly higher than 2018 spending which was approximately 4% and clothing and footwear spending in 1968 was 5% higher than 2018 spending.
secondly, the households items spending was remained the same in thime period. The expenditures on personal goods was 8% of the weekly income while in 2018 it was at 4%. furthermore the spending on transport and leisure items was higher in 2018 than 1968 the spending on transport nearly 15% and leisure was at 22% weekly income while in 1968 the spending on both of them was quite similiar.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The student attempts to cover the main features of the chart comparing weekly family spending in 1968 and 2018. An overview is attempted at the beginning with 'Looking from an perspectives it is apparent that highest spending on food in 1968', though it is grammatically flawed and slightly incomplete. Key data points are reported, such as food dropping from 35% to 17% and leisure rising to 22%. However, there are some inaccuracies in reporting specific figures; for example, the student states 'clothing and footwear spending in 1968 was 5% higher than 2018 spending' (the actual figures were 10% and 5%, meaning it was double or 5 percentage points higher, but the phrasing is clumsy). Overall, all parts of the prompt are addressed, supporting a Band 6.0.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response is arranged into three paragraphs, providing a basic overall structure. Cohesive devices such as 'Firstly', 'moreover', 'secondly', and 'furthermore' are used to connect ideas, but their application is sometimes mechanical or repetitive. Paragraphing is attempted, but the grouping of information is a bit disjointed. For instance, the second paragraph crams multiple disparate trends together. Referencing is occasionally unclear, such as 'the households items spending was remained the same in thime period', which disrupts the logical flow. These issues place the response firmly in the Band 5.5 to 6.0 range.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, touching upon various categories like 'spending', 'weekly income', 'transport', and 'leisure'. However, there are frequent word-form and collocation errors, such as 'spending weekly income on different things', 'households items', and 'thime period'. The writer attempts some less common vocabulary like 'expenditures', but misuse and spelling mistakes ('similiar', 'thime') prevent a higher score. The lexical range is sufficient to communicate the main points, aligning with Band 5.5.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, but grammatical accuracy is weak. There are numerous errors throughout the text, including missing prepositions, subject-verb agreement issues, and awkward phrasing, such as 'Looking from an perspectives it is apparent that highest spending on food in 1968 while the lowest spending' (fragmented and missing verbs). Other errors include 'double than spending' and 'was remained'. While communication is generally maintained, the frequency of grammatical errors prevents the response from reaching Band 6.0.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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