Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-08-27
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 represents the information about how families in one country use their weekly income in 1968 an 2018.
Overall, the food contributed the majority percent of usage in 1968 which is of 35% weekly and the leisure spent was very high in the year 2018 of around 23% when compared to 1968. Secondly, most of the people spent their income on housing in both the years, those are 1968 and 2018. In 1968 10% and 2018 around 20%.
The clothing and footwear shows a significant spending in 1968 of 10% which is very less when compared to the year 2018. Whereas the usage of income on household goods is an exceptional case where it shown the same rate in both years which is around 7%.
Transport has been increased significantly when compared to the past. But, most of the people are spending their income on the personal goods than the past(1968) with a percent around 7%.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The response identifies some key features, such as the dominance of food in 1968 and the rise in leisure spending. However, the analysis is inconsistent and lacks precision. For example, the statement that clothing and footwear spending was 'very less' in 1968 compared to 2018 is inaccurate based on typical chart data, and the description of transport and personal goods is vague and lacks clear comparative data. The report fails to provide a comprehensive overview of the trends, and some figures are presented in a confusing manner. To improve, you should ensure all data points are accurately interpreted and that you clearly contrast the most significant changes between the two years.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organised into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the flow between sentences is often mechanical and sometimes confusing. Phrases like 'Secondly' are used inappropriately as there was no 'firstly' mentioned. The use of cohesive devices is limited and occasionally awkward, such as 'those are 1968 and 2018' to refer back to the years. The progression of ideas is not always logical, particularly in the final paragraph where the comparison between transport and personal goods is unclear. Improving the use of linking words and ensuring clear referencing will help improve the overall coherence.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary is somewhat limited and repetitive. You rely on basic phrasing such as 'spent their income' and 'usage of income' multiple times. There are also errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'contributed the majority percent of usage' and 'very less', which are not standard English expressions. To reach a higher band, you should aim to use a wider range of vocabulary related to data description, such as 'expenditure', 'proportion', 'allocated to', and 'witnessed a significant increase'. Focusing on precise terminology will make your writing more professional and accurate.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The response contains a mix of simple and some attempted complex structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors. Issues include subject-verb agreement ('The clothing and footwear shows'), incorrect preposition usage, and awkward sentence construction ('which is of 35% weekly'). Punctuation is generally functional, but the sentence structure often feels disjointed. While the meaning is usually clear, the frequency of errors in basic grammar prevents the writing from reaching a higher band. You should focus on mastering subject-verb agreement and ensuring that your comparative structures are grammatically sound.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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