Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-08-28

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 illustrates that how families in one country spent their weekly income in 1968 and in 2018. The first category is food in 1968, the money allocated on food is 35% whereas in 2018 the expenditure made on food is 18%. The second category is housing in 1968 the 10% of weekly income is spent on housing, whereas in 2018, about 18% of income is allocated on housing.

The third category is fuel and power in 1968, about 5-7% of income is spended on fuel and power on the other hand in 2018, about 3% of income is spent on fuel and power.

The fourth category is clothing and footware, in 1968, 10% of income is allocated on clothing footware, whereas in 2018, 5% of money is spent on clothing and footwares.

The fifth category is household goods in 1968 the expenditure made on household goods is same in both the year, i.e; 5-8%.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response provides a basic overview of the data but fails to meet the requirements for a high band score. While you have selected some data points, the report lacks a clear summary of the main trends or significant comparisons. You have listed categories individually rather than grouping them to highlight key features, such as the dramatic decline in food expenditure versus the rise in housing costs. Furthermore, the response is incomplete, as it stops after the fifth category, failing to cover the entire chart. To improve, you must provide a clear overview paragraph and synthesize the data rather than simply listing figures for each category.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The essay is organized into short, repetitive paragraphs that focus on individual categories. This structure is mechanical and lacks a logical flow or a clear progression of ideas. While you use some cohesive devices like 'whereas' and 'on the other hand', the overall structure is disjointed. There is no clear introduction or concluding summary, which makes the response feel like a list of observations rather than a cohesive report. To improve, use more sophisticated linking words and group related data points together to create a more natural flow between sentences and paragraphs.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary is quite limited and repetitive. You frequently use the same phrases, such as 'the money allocated on' and 'the expenditure made on'. There are also some errors in word choice and spelling, such as 'footware' (should be 'footwear') and 'spended' (the past tense of 'spend' is 'spent'). To achieve a higher band, you should aim to use a wider range of synonyms and more precise reporting verbs (e.g., 'decreased significantly', 'remained stable', 'accounted for'). Avoid repeating the same sentence structures for every category.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The response relies heavily on simple sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'illustrates that how' (should be 'illustrates how') and 'spended' (incorrect verb form). Additionally, there are issues with punctuation and article usage, such as 'in 1968 the 10% of weekly income'. While the meaning is generally clear, the lack of complex sentence structures and the presence of frequent errors in basic grammar limit the score. To improve, focus on using a variety of complex sentence forms and ensure consistent use of correct verb tenses.

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

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