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 chart illustrates the families spent their weekly income on many product like on housing, food and more in a country in the year between 1968 and 2018.

Overall, in both the years families spent the income on household goods was same but in 2018 the leisure time was incresae very much.

In 1968, 35 percent of the income spent on the food but after this it was decline and reached at 17 percent. On housing and transport, little of the money spent on these in 1968 but in 2018 it was increase by time and the spent money was almost double its amount. In 1968, few of the income spent on fuel and power which was 6 percent but in 2018 it decreased and reached below 5 percent.

In clothing and footware and personal goods most of the families spent their income which was 10 and 8 percent but in 2018 it was decrerased by half its amount. In 1968, some of the money was spent on leasure time but in 2018 families move to spent the money on free time approximately 23 percent.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The response addresses all parts of the task by selecting and reporting the main features of the chart comparing weekly family spending between 1968 and 2018. An overview is attempted, noting the stability in household goods and the significant rise in leisure spending. Key data points are cited, such as food dropping from 35 percent to 17 percent and leisure reaching approximately 23 percent. However, some parts of the task are developed less fully than others. For example, claims regarding clothing and footwear being spent on by 'most of the families' misinterpret percentage data as demographic proportions, and details on certain categories remain somewhat under-developed. To reach a higher band, the response would need to consistently maintain clear, accurate reporting of data proportions without misinterpreting statistical trends.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The text presents a coherent overall arrangement with a logical division into paragraphs, starting with an introduction, followed by an overview, and then body paragraphs detailing specific categories. However, cohesion is sometimes faulty and mechanical. The student relies on repetitive transitional phrases such as 'In 1968' and 'in 2018' to structure the response, which lacks smoother connective tissue. Referencing is occasionally unclear, as seen in the phrasing 'after this it was decline' where pronoun reference to the exact metric is loose. Paragraphing is present and separates ideas sufficiently, but improving the variety and accuracy of cohesive devices would create a clearer logical progression throughout.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The student displays an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting words related to financial data and trends such as 'weekly income', 'decline', and 'increase'. However, there are noticeable limitations and inaccuracies in word choice, collocation, and word form. Examples of lexical errors include 'product like on housing' instead of items or categories, 'spent the money on free time' rather than allocating expenditure, and spelling errors like 'incresae' and 'decrerased'. Less common vocabulary is attempted with some inaccuracy, which prevents the response from achieving a higher level. To improve, the writer should focus on precise lexical choices for describing statistical changes and ensure correct spelling and word forms.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response demonstrates a mix of simple and some complex sentence forms, attempting comparative and temporal structures. There are, however, frequent errors in grammar and sentence structure that cause some difficulty for the reader. Issues include missing prepositions and articles, awkward verb constructions such as 'the families spent their weekly income on many product like', and incorrect clause coordination like 'families move to spent the money'. While the errors rarely completely impede overall communication, their frequency prevents the writing from displaying the sustained control of grammar seen at higher bands. Greater attention to verb patterns, prepositions in grammatical structures, and sentence formulation is needed.

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

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