Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-08-06

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 the percentage of weekly income spent by families on different categories in 1968 and 2018.

In an overview food have largest contribution of peoples in 1968. And leisure have largest contribution in 2018. while housing and transports spending increases and other things like fuel, power, clothing and foot ware and personal goods are decreased.

The higher amount spent by families on food in 1968 which is 35% but it decreases 17% percent in 2018. housing increases in 2018 which is 10% are in 1968 and 22% in 2018. Fuel and power decreases slightly from 8% to 4% Clothing and foot ware also decreases from 10% to 5%.

Personal goods are also downward from 9% to 4% but the transport expenses increases in 2018 from 8% to 14% which is a sharply increase. leisure expense are more higher which is deliberately increases from 9% to 27%. in Last there is no change in household goods it is remain same in both years which is 8% constant.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response covers the main features of the chart, identifying the most significant trends such as the decline in food expenditure and the rise in leisure and transport costs. However, the overview is somewhat disjointed and lacks a clear, cohesive summary of the overall trends. While the data is generally accurate, the expression of these figures is occasionally awkward, such as saying 'it decreases 17% percent' instead of 'it decreased by 17 percentage points'. To reach a higher band, ensure that the overview clearly synthesizes the data rather than just listing categories, and use precise terminology when discussing percentages.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The essay is organized into paragraphs, but the logical flow between sentences is often mechanical. The use of cohesive devices is limited and sometimes repetitive (e.g., 'in 1968', 'in 2018'). The overview paragraph is particularly weak in terms of cohesion, as it reads like a list of disconnected observations rather than a coherent summary. Paragraphing is present, but the transition between the introduction and the body paragraphs could be smoother. Improving the use of linking words and referencing would help the ideas progress more naturally.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks variety and precision. There are several instances of word-choice errors or awkward phrasing, such as 'foot ware' (footwear), 'deliberately increases', and 'more higher'. The range of vocabulary is limited to basic descriptors of change. To improve, you should incorporate a wider variety of verbs and adverbs to describe trends (e.g., 'plummeted', 'surged', 'remained stable') and ensure correct spelling of technical terms related to the chart categories.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. Issues include subject-verb agreement ('food have', 'leisure have', 'transport expenses increases'), incorrect tense usage ('it is remain same'), and missing articles or prepositions. While the meaning is generally understandable, the frequency of these errors prevents the response from reaching a higher band. Focusing on basic sentence construction and ensuring consistent verb tenses throughout the report will significantly improve the quality of your writing.

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