Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-01

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 stipulated bar chart depicts the information about the avarage weekly spending by families during 1968 and 2018.

Overall, it is crystal clear that the maximum average weekly spending by families was on food in both given years.

To embark with, the average spending on food was 35% during 1968, whereas, in 2018 it was accounted at 17%. A difference of 8% was noticed between the average weekly spending by families on housing in 1968(10%) and 2018(18%). Moreover, average spending on fuel and power in 1968 was 6% and in 2018 was 4%.

Moving ahead, the proportion of average weekly spending by families on transport during 1968 and 2018 was 7% and 14% orderly. With regards to, the percentage of weekly spending by families on leisure ,the formor stood at 9% and latter was accounted at 22%. Moreover, average weekly spending by families on household goods during 1986 and 2018 was noticed at 7% in both years.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

The response addresses the task partially by presenting some key data points from the chart, such as the highest spending on food in both years and the figures for leisure and transport. However, some of the reported figures contain inaccuracies when compared to the visual data, such as the housing percentage in 2018 or transport in 1968, which detracts from the accuracy of the report. The overview sentence is very basic and lacks a clear summary of the most striking overall trends, such as the significant shift in spending priorities from necessities like food to discretionary categories like leisure. To reach a higher level, the response needs to select and report data more accurately without mechanical listing, and provide a fully developed overview that captures the major trends across the two years.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

There is a basic organization to the response, featuring a short introduction, an overview, and a body section divided into multiple sentences. However, there is no clear overall progression; the body paragraphs present isolated data points rather than smoothly linking related categories or contrasting the two years effectively. Cohesive devices are used, but some are awkward, unnatural, or inappropriate, such as 'To embark with' and 'Moving ahead', which do not fit academic writing styles well. Additionally, referencing is sometimes confusing, with phrases like 'the formor' and 'latter' used with mechanical and repetitive phrasing. Improving the logical sequencing of ideas and using a wider range of appropriate, natural academic cohesive devices would significantly enhance the flow of the text.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is minimally adequate for the task, but it is limited and repetitive, relying heavily on phrases like 'average weekly spending by families'. There are several noticeable spelling and word choice errors, such as 'avarage', 'footware' (from the chart labels), 'formor' (former), and 'latter'. These errors, alongside awkward collocations like 'accounted at' instead of 'accounted for', cause some minor difficulty for the reader. To achieve a higher band, the writer needs to demonstrate a wider and more precise range of vocabulary, including synonyms to avoid constant repetition, and eliminate spelling and word-form errors.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response employs a limited range of sentence structures, mostly relying on simple sentences or basic complex constructions like 'whereas' clauses. Attempts at more complex structures often contain awkward phrasing or grammatical inaccuracies, such as 'The stipulated bar chart depicts the information about' or 'With regards to, the percentage of weekly spending... the formor stood at 9% and latter was accounted at 22%', where punctuation and article usage are faulty. There are frequent errors in prepositions and punctuation that can cause some difficulty for the reader. To improve, the writer should practice using a wider variety of complex grammatical structures accurately and ensure correct punctuation and prepositional usage.

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