Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-11-11

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 5.0)

The given bar chart illustrates the information about how family spent thier weekly expenditure given in 8 categories in one country over the period from 1968 to 2018.

Overall,it is clear that family spent thier most of the income in food recorded the highest figure,whereas they spent least income in fuel and power which recorded the lowest figure.Another noticeable feature is that in 1968 family spent thier highest average weekly income.

Looking at the details,in 1968 to 2018 family spent their highest income in food approximately 17 to 35%.This was followed by housing which stood at 19%.Meanwhile,fuel and power accounted for around 7%,showing a noticeable difference campared with the other categories.

In contrast,clothing and footware recorded the lowest figure at roughly 10%,furthermore,household goods decreased ro 8%,while personal goods accounted for 7% transport rose from 7% to 14% while on the other hand leisure

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.0

You identify the chart’s subject and attempt an overview, noting that food was a major spending category and that fuel and power was relatively low. However, the overview is inaccurate: food was highest in 1968, but leisure was highest in 2018, and fuel and power was not the lowest in both years. Several figures or comparisons are also unclear or incorrect, such as saying food went from “17 to 35%” without identifying the years in the right order, and reporting fuel and power at around 7% rather than about 6% and 4%. The final comparison about leisure is unfinished, leaving important information unreported. The response is also 7 words below the required minimum. Select the main changes accurately and complete the comparison across both years.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5

There is a basic attempt to organise the response into an introduction, an overview and detail paragraphs, and linking expressions such as “Overall,” “In contrast” and “Meanwhile” show an effort to connect information. However, progression is difficult to follow because comparisons are not consistently presented by year or category. The sentence beginning “In contrast” strings together several categories and figures, then ends abruptly at “leisure,” so the reader cannot see the intended comparison. Some links also do not clearly express the relationship between ideas. Use one paragraph for the overview and group details into clear comparisons—for example, categories that rose and those that fell—and ensure each sentence is complete.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant chart vocabulary, including “accounted for,” “recorded the highest figure” and “noticeable feature,” which helps communicate the topic. There is some variation in how spending is described, but several phrases are repetitive or imprecise, such as “spent their highest income” and “spent least income.” Spelling errors in “thier,” “campared” and “footware” are noticeable, and “decreased ro 8%” contains a typing or spelling error that distracts the reader. Choose precise terms for proportions and changes, and check spelling carefully. For example, describe a category as “accounted for 19% of weekly spending” rather than saying families “spent their highest income” on it.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response attempts both simple statements and more complex comparisons, including “whereas” and “while,” and the main topic is generally understandable. However, grammatical control is uneven. The opening phrase “how family spent” lacks an appropriate plural form, and “family spent their most of the income” has an incorrect construction. The sentence about food (“approximately 17 to 35%”) does not clearly express a change, while the final sentence is incomplete, ending with “leisure.” Punctuation is also inconsistent, with missing spaces after commas and full stops. Practise complete, clearly structured comparison sentences, such as “Food spending fell from 35% in 1968 to 17% in 2018,” and proofread sentence boundaries.

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

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