Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-11-13

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 graph provides data on how families in one nations spent their weekly earning during two year.

Overall, food was the main thing that families enjoyed in first year. On the other hand, leisure items were highest in another year which people invested maximum of their earning.

Looking in to the figure of bar graph, 35% of weekly income invested in 1968 by the families which is maximum among all whereas in 2018, people spent around 22% in leisure products which is highest in 2018.

Turning towards in to the figure of bar graph, Fuel and power is the item that families spent least money which is just 4% in 2018 and around 6% in 1968, followed by personal goods . From the bar graph, we can see that food is the main thing people will spend their income.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify two important headline features: food was the largest category in 1968, while leisure was the largest in 2018. You also report the approximate figures for these peaks and note that fuel and power was low in both years. However, the comparison is only partial: the response omits major changes such as housing rising from 10% to 19%, transport increasing from 8% to 14%, and food falling from 35% to 17%. The final claim that food is the main spending item is not qualified by year and conflicts with the 2018 overview. The response is also 10 words below the required minimum. Develop the overview and compare several key categories across both years.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has a basic structure, moving from an introduction to an overview and then to details, and phrases such as “Overall” and “On the other hand” signal relationships between ideas. However, progression is limited because the two detail paragraphs repeat the same points about the highest and lowest categories rather than organising a fuller comparison. “Looking in to the figure” and “Turning towards in to the figure” are repetitive transitions, and the final sentence returns to food without clarifying that it was the leading category only in 1968. Group the figures by meaningful changes or by year, and use clear references so each comparison builds on the previous one.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some task-relevant vocabulary, including “bar graph,” “weekly income,” “highest,” and “least,” so the reader can understand the general subject. However, the range is limited and several choices are inaccurate or unnatural: “weekly earning” is not the best expression for income, “leisure products” mislabels a spending category, and “invested” suggests an investment rather than ordinary expenditure. There are also spelling and word-form problems, including “nations” where a singular country is intended and “footware” in the chart label. Use precise terms such as “share of weekly income,” “spending on leisure,” and “accounted for,” and check spelling and collocations.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more extended sentence forms, and the main comparisons are generally understandable. However, errors in sentence construction and grammatical patterns remain noticeable. For example, “35% of weekly income invested in 1968 by the families” lacks a finite verb and has an awkward passive structure; “families enjoyed in first year” is missing an article and does not express the intended comparison clearly. “Fuel and power is the item that families spent least money” also has an awkward clause pattern, while “people will spend” shifts unnecessarily to the future. Use complete clauses such as “Families spent 35% of their weekly income on food in 1968,” and keep past-tense reporting consistent.

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