Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-08-18

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 mentions the information about how families spent their weekly budget in two time periods, one is in 1968 and another in 2018.

On one hand, the chart shows that there's a huge difference in food, housing, transport and leisure costs compared to this sixty year gap of those certain families. The food cost used to be very high back in 1968 regardless of the production problems back then. In the present time the problem got a fix due to modernization and advancement in transportation. Nowadays foods can be transported in such a cost efficient way that it has become cheaper for most household to afford. Due to the population changes the housing cost became costlier in 2018 and it jumped from 10 percent to nearly 18 percent which is a significant rise.

People back in 1968 had less idea and desire about spending their leisure time away from home of getting themselves vacation plans but it changed drastically in 2018 as it shows on the chart. People now tend to spent more in this category. The fuel and power cost has lessened a bit but it not that gigantic in my opinion. As the world has seen globalization and its affects have conquered the clothing and footware sector hugely. Most of the third world countries nowadays produce cheap clothes and deliver it to the rest of the world which is a huge relief to the modern world.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 4.0

The response fails to meet the requirements of an Academic Task 1 report. Instead of objectively summarizing the data, you have provided subjective explanations and external knowledge (e.g., 'production problems,' 'modernization,' 'third world countries'). IELTS Task 1 requires you to report on the data provided in the chart without speculating on the causes or adding personal opinions. While you mention some categories like food and housing, you do not provide a clear overview of the main trends, and the lack of objective data reporting significantly limits the task achievement. To improve, focus strictly on describing the figures and comparing the changes between 1968 and 2018.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The essay lacks a clear structure. The introduction is weak, and the body paragraphs are not organized logically. You use some cohesive devices like 'On one hand,' but they are not used effectively to link data points. The paragraphing is insufficient, and the flow of ideas is hindered by the inclusion of irrelevant commentary rather than a systematic comparison of the data. To improve, use a clear structure: an introduction, an overview of the main trends, and two body paragraphs that group related data points together using clear transition signals.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary is generally limited and repetitive. You rely on informal phrasing such as 'got a fix,' 'less idea,' and 'gigantic.' There are also issues with word choice and collocation, such as 'conquered the clothing and footware sector.' While you attempt to use some topic-related vocabulary, it is often inaccurate or used in a way that does not fit the academic tone required for this task. To improve, focus on using precise, academic vocabulary to describe trends, such as 'fluctuated,' 'remained stable,' or 'experienced a significant decline.'

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The response contains frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. Examples include 'the chart mentions the information,' 'it not that gigantic,' and 'its affects have conquered.' There is a lack of complex sentence structures, and the control over basic grammar is inconsistent. Subject-verb agreement and preposition usage are problematic throughout the text. To improve, focus on mastering basic sentence construction and proofreading for common errors like verb tense consistency and article usage. Aim to incorporate a wider variety of complex structures, such as relative clauses or passive voice, to describe the data more accurately.

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