Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-10

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 chart represent the information about how family unit in one state spent their weekly income in 1968 and how the spent their per week income in 2018 .

In 1968, families utilized 40 % in foods and 10 % in housing purpose approximately 12% in fuel and power or 10% income spent income on house hold things 8% money utilize on personal goods and if we talk about transport 8% income invested on it . The 9% part of the income is allocated on leisure . In 2018 people spent 17% income on food 19% on the housing and 4

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 4.0

The response fails to meet the minimum word count requirement of 150 words, as it is significantly under-length at 102 words. Furthermore, the response is incomplete, cutting off mid-sentence at the end. While you attempted to report some data from 1968 and 2018, the lack of a clear overview and the failure to complete the task prevent a higher score. To improve, ensure you provide a clear summary of the main trends and complete the analysis of all categories provided in the chart. You must also ensure the response reaches the minimum length to avoid a penalty.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The response lacks a clear structure. There is no introduction or overview, and the information is presented as a list of figures rather than a cohesive report. The paragraphing is also problematic, with a very long, dense paragraph followed by an incomplete one. To improve, use clear paragraph breaks to separate the introduction, the overview, and the body paragraphs. Use cohesive devices such as 'in contrast,' 'meanwhile,' or 'whereas' to link your ideas and make comparisons between the two years, rather than just listing percentages.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary is quite limited and repetitive. You frequently use the word 'income' and 'spent' without variation. There are also issues with word choice, such as 'housing purpose' and 'house hold things,' which are not natural collocations in this context. To improve, try to use a wider range of synonyms for 'spending' (e.g., 'expenditure,' 'outlay,' 'allocated to') and ensure you use precise terminology for the categories shown in the chart. Avoid repeating the same sentence structures and vocabulary throughout the text.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

There are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text, including missing articles ('in foods,' 'on house hold things'), incorrect verb forms ('represent' instead of 'represents'), and awkward phrasing ('how the spent their per week income'). The sentence structures are simple and lack the complexity required for higher bands. To improve, focus on basic subject-verb agreement and the correct use of prepositions. Practice writing more complex sentences using subordinating conjunctions to show relationships between the data points, and proofread carefully to correct basic errors.

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

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