Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-11-12

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 bar chart illustrates data about how fanilies members in one nations spent their weekly salary in 1968 and in 2018.

Overall, it is clear that food accounted the largest value and the lowest prices of personal goods. And the remaining of items in remain stable.

In 1968, food had the largest proportions in 35% this percentages in highest of that year.And the 2018 food just around in 17%. Housing value of 10% to 1968, and next year in rise up the 18%. In leisure, 2018 increases the 23%, and back year of 8%. Followed by clothing and footware to 10%, in 1968 to half proportion. And the remaining value of remained constantly household goods and personal goods in the same, 8% to 1968, 8% to 2018. Fuel and power all the value of same size in 6%to 1968. Transport in the growth of 14%to 2018, and 1968 the number of just about in 6%. Leisure weekly income of the 23% this proportions was highest of that year.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify several important contrasts, including the fall in food spending from 35% to about 17%, and increases in housing and leisure. However, the overview is unclear and partly inaccurate: food was the largest category in 1968, but leisure—not personal goods—was the largest in 2018, while fuel and power was the smallest. The claim that the remaining items “remain stable” is too broad, since clothing, personal goods and transport changed noticeably. Some figures are also misreported: transport was about 8% in 1968, not 6%, and household goods stayed at 8% in both years. A clearer overview of the main shifts, supported by accurate comparisons across the categories, would make the report more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5

There is a basic attempt to organise the response, beginning with an introduction and overview before describing individual categories. However, the progression is difficult to follow because the figures are presented in a long, crowded paragraph, with several ideas joined abruptly. For example, “In leisure, 2018 increases the 23%, and back year of 8%” is followed by clothing, then household goods, fuel and transport, before leisure is repeated at the end. This repetition and the unclear references such as “next year” weaken the links between points. Grouping the major increases and decreases into separate paragraphs, and using clear comparisons such as “whereas” or “by contrast,” would create a more logical flow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The response uses some relevant chart vocabulary, including “proportions,” “accounted,” “rise” and “remained,” so the topic is generally recognisable. However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate, sometimes making the meaning hard to interpret. For instance, “weekly salary” is less suitable than “weekly income,” “food accounted the largest value” is not a natural expression, and “the remaining value of remained constantly” is unclear. There are also spelling errors such as “fanilies” and “footware.” Aim for precise terms such as “share,” “percentage” and “expenditure,” and check spelling and common collocations when describing changes.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

You attempt both simple statements and longer comparisons, but sentence structures are often faulty, and errors frequently make relationships between figures unclear. Examples include “food accounted the largest value,” “Housing value of 10% to 1968,” and “Transport in the growth of 14%to 2018,” which lack complete or correctly formed clauses. Tense and agreement are also inconsistent, as in “2018 increases” and “the remaining value … remained constantly.” Punctuation and spacing around figures are uneven, and some sentences run together without clear boundaries. Practise building accurate comparison patterns, for example, “Housing rose from 10% in 1968 to 19% in 2018,” before attempting longer sentences.

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