Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-11
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 compares the family in one country expended their weekly income in 1968 and 2018.
Overall, it is evident that, the highest percentage of food was spent in one country , whereas, fuel and power was recorded lowest spending among the figure.
To commence with, in 1968 , family was spending large amount of money on food was recorded 35 percent. In contrast , lowest amount of was spend on personal goods was observed 4 percent in 2018. moreover, expending on clothing and footware was slightly higher than personal goods was recorded 2 percent.
Furthermore, spending on housing was twice as higher than fuel and power was reported 18 percent. after this , expanding on household goods was simillar pecent in both years was stood at 13 percent. Family was 14 percent was spend on transport in 2018. In adition, 22 percent was spending on leisure activities .
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The response attempts to summarize the main features of the chart, but it fails to provide a clear or accurate overview. The data selection is problematic; for instance, the statement that food spending was 35% in 1968 is correct, but the comparison of other categories is confusing and often inaccurate. The report lacks a logical grouping of data, and the comparison between the two years is disjointed. Several figures are mentioned without clear context or accurate labeling, making it difficult for the reader to follow the trends. To improve, you must ensure that your overview highlights the most significant changes (e.g., the decline in food spending versus the rise in leisure) and that all data points are accurately transcribed from the chart.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0
The essay is organized into paragraphs, but the logical progression of ideas is weak. While some cohesive devices are used (e.g., 'To commence with', 'In contrast', 'Furthermore'), they are often used incorrectly or in a way that creates confusion rather than clarity. The referencing is frequently unclear, such as in the sentence 'spending on housing was twice as higher than fuel and power was reported 18 percent', where the relationship between the figures is muddled. The lack of clear transitions between the two years makes the report feel like a list of disconnected facts rather than a cohesive analysis of the data.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The range of vocabulary is quite limited and repetitive. You rely heavily on basic verbs like 'spent', 'expending', and 'recorded'. There are also significant issues with word choice and collocation, such as 'expending on clothing' instead of 'expenditure on clothing' or 'spending on'. The phrase 'lowest spending among the figure' is unnatural. To reach a higher band, you should aim to use a wider variety of synonyms for 'spending' (e.g., 'allocation', 'outlay', 'expenditure') and ensure that your terminology for describing trends is precise and appropriate for an academic report.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The response contains frequent grammatical errors that often impede clarity. There are issues with sentence structure, such as 'the highest percentage of food was spent in one country', which is syntactically awkward. Subject-verb agreement and word order are inconsistent, for example, 'family was spending large amount of money'. Additionally, there are errors in the use of articles and prepositions throughout the text. While you attempt some complex structures, they are often faulty, leading to confusion. You need to focus on basic sentence construction and ensure that your subjects and verbs agree before attempting more complex grammatical forms.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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