Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-08-13

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 chart illustrates data about how the weekly income of families from the same country was spent in both years 1968 and 2018.

Overall, families spent the most of their weekly income on food in 1968. In contrast, people spent the largest percentage of their salary on leisure instead. Likewise, families spent a very minimum amount of money on fuel and power.

In 1968, households were spending 35% of their weekly salaries on foodsand less than 10% on house goods

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 4.0

The response is significantly under-length, failing to meet the 150-word minimum requirement. Consequently, the task is only partially addressed. While you have attempted to identify some main features, such as the shift in spending from food to leisure, the response is incomplete. You have not provided a comprehensive overview or detailed comparisons across all categories shown in the chart. To improve, you must ensure you cover all data points and provide a full analysis of the trends, which requires writing at least 150 words to allow for sufficient development of the information provided in the prompt.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The response shows a basic attempt at organization with an introduction and an overview paragraph. However, because the response is so brief, there is no clear progression of ideas. The use of cohesive devices like 'In contrast' and 'Likewise' is appropriate, but the lack of content makes it difficult to assess your ability to manage longer, more complex logical structures. To improve, focus on grouping related data points into distinct paragraphs and using a wider variety of linking words to connect your observations smoothly.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is generally accurate but quite limited. You have used basic terms like 'spent', 'percentage', and 'salary'. While these are appropriate for the context, there is a lack of variety and no attempt to use more sophisticated or precise vocabulary related to data description (e.g., 'expenditure', 'allocated', 'fluctuated', 'accounted for'). To achieve a higher band, you should aim to incorporate a wider range of topic-specific vocabulary and demonstrate more flexibility in your word choice.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The grammar is generally clear, and the sentences are mostly error-free, such as 'the bar chart illustrates data about how the weekly income... was spent'. However, the range of structures is very limited, consisting mostly of simple sentences. There is a minor error in 'foodsand' (missing space). To improve, you need to demonstrate a wider range of complex sentence structures, such as using relative clauses or passive voice, while maintaining the accuracy you have shown here.

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

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