Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-08-05

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 5.0)

There is a bar graph shown which represents the income spent of families in single country. This shows the difference in the year 1968 and in 2018.

In the year 1968, food accounts for 35% whereas in the year 2018, food accounts for 17% of weekly income. Housing accounts for 10% in 1968 and 19% in 2018. Fuel and power accounts for above 5% in 1968 as compared to 2018 it is below 5%. Clothing and footware accounts for 10% in 1968 and 5% in 2018. However, the percentage of household goods maintains the same level of abpove 5% and below 10%.

The year 1968 and 2018 has many changes as the personal goods accounts for above 5% and below 10% in 1968 and in 2018 it is below 5%. The transport accounts for above 10% but below 15% in 1968 and in 2018 it is above 5%. At last it shows leisure in 1968 above 5% in 1968 and above 20% in 2018.

The overview of this chart shows us the distribution of weekly income spent of families on the year 1968 and 2018.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response covers the main features of the chart, but the reporting is largely a list of data points rather than a synthesis of trends. While you identify key changes, such as the decrease in food spending and the rise in leisure, the lack of a clear overview at the beginning is a weakness. The 'overview' is placed at the end, which is not standard for IELTS Academic Task 1. To improve, group the data into categories (e.g., categories that increased vs. decreased) and ensure the main trends are highlighted in the introduction or a dedicated overview paragraph.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The essay is organised into paragraphs, but the progression of ideas is mechanical. You rely heavily on repetitive sentence structures ('X accounts for Y% in 1968 and Z% in 2018'). The use of cohesive devices is limited and sometimes awkward, such as 'At last it shows leisure'. The final paragraph, which serves as an overview, should ideally be placed immediately after the introduction to provide a clear summary of the data before moving into the specific details. Improving the variety of linking words would help the flow.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary is functional but repetitive. You use the phrase 'accounts for' in almost every sentence, which limits your score. There are also minor errors, such as 'footware' (spelling: footwear) and 'abpove' (typo: above). To reach a higher band, you should use a wider range of synonyms for 'spending' (e.g., expenditure, allocation, outlay) and verbs to describe trends (e.g., plummeted, surged, remained stable, fluctuated). The current range is adequate for basic communication but lacks the precision required for higher bands.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The response uses simple sentence structures almost exclusively. While the meaning is generally clear, there is a lack of complex grammatical structures. You also have some issues with subject-verb agreement and preposition usage, such as 'in the year 1968 and 2018 has many changes' (should be 'there were many changes') and 'spent of families on the year' (should be 'spent by families in the year'). To improve, try to incorporate more complex sentences using relative clauses or subordinating conjunctions to compare the two years more fluidly.

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

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