Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-08-04

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 chart given shows information about how families in one country spent their weekly income in 1968 and in 2018. The average weekly income spent by families in 1968 on food was 35% while the families average income spent on food in 2018 was around 17%.

The householders spent typically 10% of their weekly earnings on housing in 1968 which is lesser than people of 2018 who spent around 18%. For fuel and power people of the house spent around 6% ordinary amount in 1968 weekly while individuals of the house spent lesser than those, about 4%. In clothing and footwear category, individuals of the house spent an average of 10% which was more than the people in 2018 who spent 5% of their weekly income on it. Household goods average cost of 7 days was same for both people in 1968 and in 2018, 8%. Personal goods interested people in 1968 with average spendings of around 8% in 7 days and 4% spendings of individuals in 2018. As for the transport, menage spent 8% of their average 7 days income while menage in 2018 spent around 14%. In the leisure, families of 1968 spent around 9% of their every week wages, but householders in 2018 spent 22% of the average income weekly.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response covers all the categories provided in the chart and makes relevant comparisons between 1968 and 2018. However, the report lacks a clear overview or summary of the main trends, which is a requirement for a high band score in Task 1. The information is presented as a list of data points rather than a synthesized analysis. While the key features are identified, the lack of a clear summary paragraph and the mechanical listing of percentages prevent this from reaching a higher band. To improve, you should group the data by trends (e.g., categories that increased vs. decreased) rather than listing them item by item.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The response is organized into two paragraphs, but the second paragraph is overly long and lacks logical progression. The flow is repetitive, as almost every sentence follows the same structure: 'In [category], [subject] spent [percentage]'. There is a lack of cohesive devices to link ideas or show contrast effectively. While the information is generally easy to follow, the mechanical nature of the transitions and the lack of paragraphing for different trends make the cohesion feel basic. Using a wider variety of linking words like 'conversely', 'in contrast', or 'meanwhile' would improve the logical flow.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary is somewhat limited and repetitive. You frequently use the same phrases, such as 'individuals of the house' and 'average weekly income spent'. Some word choices are unnatural or inaccurate, such as 'menage' (which is not standard English in this context) and 'ordinary amount'. There is little attempt to use less common vocabulary or precise collocations related to data description. To improve, try to vary your terminology for describing trends, such as 'expenditure', 'proportion', 'allocated to', or 'witnessed a significant rise'.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors. Examples include 'the householders spent typically 10%', 'lesser than people of 2018', and 'average cost of 7 days was same'. The use of articles and prepositions is inconsistent. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are frequent enough to be noticeable. You should focus on subject-verb agreement and the correct use of comparative structures (e.g., 'lower than' instead of 'lesser than').

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

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