Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-08-16

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 compares the percentage of weekly income spent by the families in one country in year 1968 and in 2018 year.

Overall, the families spend their weekly income in buying essentials things like food, housing, fuel and power, clothing and footwear, household goods, personal goods, transport, leisure. Moreover, the biggest difference is clear between food and leisure where food in year 1968 was on high priority then in 2018 year, by contrast in year 2018 the leisure have rise and in 1968 year it was not much important.

At the beginning, in year 1968 the families priority to spend their weekly income was food 35%, moving to housing and clothing and footwear it was on the same benefit to 10%, following to personal goods, transport and leisure was also on same page. And at the bottom of the list to spend weekly income was fuel and power in between 5 to 10 %.

Compare to in year 2018, leisure have significantly rise on their priority list between 20- 25%. On second number the spend was on housing nearly 20% and then food, transport, clothing and footwear, personal goods, and fuel and power were decided spend weekly income in between 0 to 10 % only.

Turning to only household goods section that was equally important in both the year (1968 and 2018) to spend their weekly income.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response covers the main features of the chart, such as the decline in food spending and the rise in leisure. However, the data presentation is often inaccurate or vague. For instance, stating that food, transport, and clothing were 'between 0 to 10%' in 2018 is factually incorrect based on the provided chart. Additionally, the description of 1968 data is somewhat confusing, particularly the grouping of items. To improve, you must ensure that the figures cited are precise and that comparisons are clearly linked to the specific years provided in the prompt.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organised into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the use of cohesive devices is often mechanical or misused, such as 'At the beginning' to introduce a paragraph about data, or 'On second number', which is not standard English. The progression of ideas is sometimes hindered by awkward phrasing, making it difficult to follow the comparison between the two years. Using a wider range of linking words like 'whereas', 'in contrast', or 'consequently' would improve the flow and logical connection between your sentences.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary is limited and often repetitive. You rely on basic phrases like 'spend their weekly income' and 'on the same page'. There are also issues with word choice and collocation, such as 'leisure have rise' (should be 'leisure has risen') and 'on the same benefit'. To achieve a higher band, you should aim to use more precise terminology for describing trends, such as 'accounted for', 'experienced a significant increase', or 'remained stable'. The current range is sufficient for basic communication but lacks the precision required for higher bands.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

There are frequent grammatical errors throughout the response, including subject-verb agreement issues ('leisure have rise', 'families priority... was') and incorrect preposition usage. Sentence structures are mostly simple, and attempts at more complex sentences often result in errors that can impede clarity. For example, 'food in year 1968 was on high priority then in 2018 year' is grammatically awkward. Focusing on basic sentence construction, correct verb tenses, and consistent subject-verb agreement will significantly improve your writing accuracy.

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

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