Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-04
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 given bar chart illustrates how homes in particular country spend their source of income weekly on the eight different activites in 1968 and in 2018.
Overall, comparing both the years in 1968 food was the highest paid activite, whereas leisure is most favourite activite where family spend more money in 2018.
On the one hand, out of eight food is one on which they spend their large portion of income weekly in year 1968 that is 30%, followed by housing, clothing and footware share same percent that is 10% weekly, furthermore, household goods, personal goods, transport and leisure are on equal that was between 5 to 10 percent.The least spended activite was fuel and power.
On the other hand , in year 2018 most likely spended activite that was more than 20%, was leisure fuel and power, personal goods share the percentage of income that was below than 5% less then all other activites. Housing was second most spended that was more than 15%.
Overall , housing goods was on same percent in both the year that was between 5 to 10 % .
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5
The response presents an overview with main trends and selects some key data from the chart, such as food spending in 1968 and leisure in 2018. However, the task is only partially addressed because some of the reported data contains inaccuracies, such as stating food was 30% in 1968 (when the chart shows 35%) and misinterpreting fuel and power alongside leisure in the second body paragraph due to awkward phrasing and mechanical grouping. The overview provided in the second paragraph touches upon main features, but overall the development of ideas is limited, with some key comparisons omitted or obscured by imprecise data reporting, placing this aspect of the writing at the lower-intermediate level.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
There is a basic logical structure with an introduction, body paragraphs divided by year, and a concluding sentence. However, the progression lacks clarity and flow. Cohesive devices are used mechanically and sometimes inappropriately, such as 'On the one hand' and 'On the other hand,' which are unsuited for comparing data in a chart as they do not form a true contrast. Paragraphing is attempted, but sentences within paragraphs can feel disjointed due to run-on structures and unclear referencing pronouns like 'they' and 'that,' which occasionally make it difficult to follow which category or year is being discussed.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.0
The vocabulary used is limited and repetitive, relying heavily on basic terms like 'spend,' 'percent,' 'income,' and 'activite' (frequently misspelled as 'activite' and 'spended'). There are noticeable word choice and word form errors throughout the text, including 'most likely spended activite' and 'housing goods was on same percent.' While the vocabulary is minimally adequate to convey the general topic of the chart, the frequent lexical errors and lack of less common phrasing restrict the range of vocabulary, causing some difficulty for the reader and preventing the response from reaching a higher band.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
The student uses a very limited range of sentence structures, relying mostly on simple sentences or faulty complex constructions. There are frequent grammatical errors, including missing prepositions, incorrect verb forms ('spended'), punctuation issues (such as missing spaces after commas and periods), and subject-verb agreement slips like 'housing goods was on same percent.' Attempts at complex sentences often result in ungrammatical clauses or run-on sentences that lack proper subordination. These frequent errors cause occasional strain and difficulty for the reader in interpreting the intended meaning.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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