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 chart illustrates toward the expenditure of weekly income of families in one country in 1968 and in 2018.

Overall, it is clear that Food expenses accounted for the highest shares during two given years whereas Fuel and power represented the lowest shares. Housing and Leisure expenses increased with the passage of time .

In detail, Food expenditure were more than 15 percent in 1968 and in 2018 it became the largest expenditure category. Leisure category also risen and became the second largest figure category in 2018 with more than 20 percent shares. Furthermore housing category closely followed the Leisure category and registered for the third enormous share with 18 percent in 2018.

However transport expenses also escalated from 7 percent to 13 percent in 2018.In addition personal goods faced decline in 1968 they were 3 percent and in 2018 were more than 5 percent .Otherwise household expenses showed the steady behaviour in 2018 and 1968,.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

The response attempts to address the prompt by reporting on the main features of weekly spending in 1968 and 2018, such as Food, Leisure, and Housing. However, the task is only partially addressed because some of the data reported contains notable inaccuracies and misinterpretations of the chart. For instance, the student states that Fuel and power represented the lowest shares, whereas Personal goods and other categories were lower or comparable, and claims that Food expenses were more than 15 percent in 1968 when the chart clearly shows it at 35 percent. Furthermore, the overview is limited, and the description of the details lacks precision, with some figures incorrectly reported (e.g., transport and personal goods). To improve, you should carefully check the values against the visual data and ensure that key trends are accurately selected and supported.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has some organization, attempting to group information into an introduction, an overview, and supporting body details. However, there is no clear overall progression, and the logical flow is disrupted by abrupt shifts between ideas and erratic paragraphing. Cohesive devices are used mechanically or inadequately, such as the awkward transition 'In detail,' and repetitive phrasing. Referencing is sometimes unclear, particularly when jumping between years and categories without sufficient signposting. To move to a higher band, you need to structure your paragraphs logically, ensuring each body paragraph has a clear thematic focus, and use a wider variety of cohesive ties more naturally to connect your sentences and ideas smoothly.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is limited but minimally adequate to convey basic information about the chart. There are noticeable lexical errors and awkward word choices, such as 'Food expenditure were' (incorrect plural agreement combined with word form), 'category also risen' (incorrect participle form), and 'registered for the third enormous share' (unnatural collocation; 'enormous' is inappropriate for statistical data). Additionally, spelling and word choice errors, such as 'footware' (though not explicitly tested here, general vocabulary control is weak) and 'steady behaviour,' occasionally cause difficulty for the reader. To achieve a higher score, you should expand your range of vocabulary by learning precise statistical terms (e.g., 'proportion,' 'allocate,' 'fluctuate') and ensuring correct word formation and collocation.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response demonstrates a very limited range of sentence structures, relying mostly on simple sentences with frequent attempts at complex forms that are often faulty. There are persistent grammatical errors throughout the text, including subject-verb agreement issues (e.g., 'Food expenditure were'), missing articles (e.g., 'Furthermore housing category'), incorrect prepositions, and punctuation errors (e.g., missing spaces after periods and unnecessary commas). These frequent errors can cause some difficulty for the reader and obscure the intended meaning. To improve, focus on mastering basic sentence structures, ensuring correct verb tenses and agreements, and reducing the frequency of structural errors by reviewing your writing carefully.

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

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