Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-21
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 the proportion of the weekly salary being spent by families in a particular country in 1968 and in 2018.
Overall, in 1968, a major portion of weekly pay was spent on food, while other categories contributed relatively lower. On the other hand, in 2018, leisure and housing overtook the percentage being utilized on food in 1968.
To commence with, in 1968, about 35% of weekly wage was consumed by food, followed by housing, and clothing and footwares which accounted for 10% each. Remaining categories took smaller segment where only 9%, accounted for leisure, and 8% for transport, personal goods, and household goods each. Fuel and power took only about 6% which is the least value.
On the other hand, in 2018, spending habits changed significantly with highest being spent on leisure which is about 22%, almost 19% on housing, and food took only about 16% which is quite lesser in comparison. other spending on other categories decreased below than in 1968
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response covers all key parts of the prompt by selecting and reporting the main features of the chart, comparing 1968 and 2018 spending. The student correctly identifies that food was the highest category in 1968 at around 35%, and that leisure and housing became dominant in 2018. An overview is present in the second paragraph. However, there are minor inaccuracies in data interpretation, such as stating that leisure and housing overtook the percentage utilized on food in 1968 (food was 35%, whereas leisure was 22% and housing was 19% in 2018, so they did not individually exceed food in 1968, though combined they did; or perhaps the student meant compared to 2018's food). Additionally, the final sentence 'other spending on other categories decreased below than in 1968' is vague and incomplete. Overall, the task is adequately addressed.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The essay is structured with an introduction, an overall overview, and body paragraphs dedicated to 1968 and 2018 respectively, ensuring a clear overall progression. Cohesive devices are used to signal transitions, such as 'Overall', 'On the other hand', and 'To commence with'. However, referencing and cohesion are sometimes faulty or mechanical, as seen in the abrupt ending of the final paragraph ('other spending on other categories decreased below than in 1968'). Paragraphing is generally appropriate, though paragraph four lacks a full stop and proper completion.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, with terms like 'proportion', 'consumed', 'accounted for', and 'spending habits'. The student attempts less common vocabulary such as 'utilized', 'overtook', and 'segment', though some collocations and word forms are inaccurate, such as 'clothing and footwares' (footwear is uncountable) and 'quite lesser' (grammatically incorrect comparative). Spelling is generally accurate, but lexical control lacks the precision needed for a higher band.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, such as 'The bar chart depicts the proportion of the weekly salary being spent...' and 'To commence with, in 1968, about 35% of weekly wage was consumed by food...'. There are several grammatical errors and awkward phrasings, including missing articles ('proportion of the weekly salary', 'highest being spent', 'food took only about 16%'), pluralization errors ('footwares'), and an incomplete final sentence. Despite these errors, they rarely impede communication, allowing the reader to follow the main points easily.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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