Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-05

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 graph illustrates the information about how families in one country spent their weekly income in 1968 and 2018.

First and foremost, income was divided into multiple factors starting with the food, in 1968, expense on it was marginally higher than 2018. In addition, in 1968, income spent on housing was significantly lesser than 2018. To add more, 7% of income was spent on fuel and power in 1968 while on other hand, only 5% of income spent in 2018. Moving forward, 10% of income was spent on clothing and footware in 1968 which was half in 2018. Furthermore, the same amount of spent on household goods was done in both the years. Moreover, more amount on personal goods was spent in 1968 which decreased in 2018. In 1968, 8% was spent on transport which went up and reached 14% in 2018. Lastly, people in 2018 spent more on leisure in comparision to people in 2018.

Overall, people in 1968 used to spent highest in food meanwhile lowest on fuel and power whereas people in 2018 spent highest amount of income on leisure and lowest on personal goods.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The response addresses the main features of the prompt, successfully identifying key trends such as the drop in food spending and the rise in leisure expenditure. However, the data reporting is somewhat mechanical and lacks thorough development. For instance, the student states that 'expense on it was marginally higher' without giving specific figures for food in the initial sentence comparison, and the final sentence contains a logical contradiction ('people in 2018 spent more on leisure in comparision to people in 2018'). Some data points are vague or lack accurate proportional descriptions. To move to a higher level, the response needs to select and highlight the most salient trends more clearly, integrate precise data more smoothly, and avoid repetitive phrasing when contrasting the two years.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The essay displays a basic overall structure with an introduction, a body paragraph, and a concluding overview. However, the progression of ideas is hindered by repetitive and mechanical transitional phrases such as 'First and foremost', 'In addition', 'To add more', 'Moving forward', and 'Furthermore'. These devices are overused and create a stilted reading experience rather than a natural flow. Paragraphing is attempted, but the single long body paragraph crams too many disparate categories together without clear thematic grouping. Additionally, the referencing in the final sentence ('people in 2018... in comparison to people in 2018') is faulty. Improving logical sequencing and grouping related categories would greatly enhance cohesion.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is adequate to communicate basic trends, utilizing terms like 'marginally higher', 'significantly lesser', and 'decreased'. However, the range is quite limited, and there are noticeable lexical errors and awkward word choices, such as 'expense on it was marginally higher than 2018' (missing 'that of') and 'clothing and footware' (spelling error). The phrase 'same amount of spent' is grammatically awkward and demonstrates weak word formation. To achieve a higher score, the student should incorporate a wider variety of less common vocabulary with precise control over word forms and collocations, while eliminating spelling mistakes.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response shows a limited range of sentence structures, relying heavily on basic subject-verb-object constructions combined with simple clauses. Attempts at more complex sentences often result in errors, such as 'income spent on housing was significantly lesser than 2018' (omitting 'that in') and missing prepositions or articles. Frequent errors are present throughout the text, including tense and agreement slips like 'only 5% of income spent in 2018' (missing passive auxiliary) and punctuation issues. While the meaning is generally decipherable, these persistent grammatical inaccuracies restrict the writing to a lower band. Incorporating error-free complex structures with better control of articles and prepositions is essential for improvement.

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

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