Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-08-20
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 given bar chart below shows the information about how families in one country spend their weekly income in 1968 and in 2018 The spendings of a household can be classified as: food, housing, fuel and power, clothing and footware, household goods, personal goods transport and leisure.
The first neccessary item on which mostly the monthly income is spent is food in 1968, 35%of income is spent on food by the citizens whereas in 2018 18% of allowance is spent on food
The second item on which monthly allowance is spent is housing in 1968, 10% of income is spent on housing whereas in 2018, around 18% of allowance is spent on housing.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 4.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 4.0
The response fails to meet the minimum word count requirement of 150 words, which significantly impacts the task achievement score. Furthermore, the response is incomplete; it only covers two of the seven categories (food and housing) and fails to provide an overview or summary of the main trends. By omitting the majority of the data categories and failing to synthesize the information, the response does not adequately address the task requirements. To improve, you must ensure all categories are mentioned and provide a clear overview of the most significant changes between 1968 and 2018.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0
The response lacks a clear logical progression. While there is a basic attempt to introduce the topic, the lack of paragraphing and the absence of cohesive devices make the text feel like a list of isolated sentences rather than a cohesive report. There is no clear structure to guide the reader through the data. To improve, use linking words such as 'whereas', 'in contrast', or 'similarly' to connect your ideas, and ensure you group related information into distinct paragraphs to create a logical flow.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary is quite limited and repetitive, relying heavily on the words provided in the prompt. There are also spelling errors such as 'neccessary' and 'footware'. The range of vocabulary is insufficient to demonstrate the flexibility required for higher bands. To improve, try to use a wider variety of synonyms for 'spending' (e.g., 'expenditure', 'outlay', 'allocation') and avoid repeating the same sentence structures. Expanding your range of descriptive verbs and nouns will help you achieve a more precise and academic tone.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The response contains several grammatical errors, including missing punctuation, run-on sentences, and inconsistent use of articles. For example, '35%of' lacks a space, and the opening sentence is a run-on that lacks proper punctuation. The sentence structures are very simple, and there is no evidence of complex sentence forms. To improve, focus on basic sentence construction, ensuring each sentence has a clear subject and verb, and pay closer attention to punctuation, particularly when listing data or contrasting figures.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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