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 chart provides details about how families preffered to spend their income in 2 spoecific years, 1968 and 2018.

Overall, the way weekly income is being spent is changed dramatically as in 1968, most of the income was invested in food however in 2018, how to spend your free time is more valued.

In 1968, people cared more about food and spent 35% of the income. And the other two ways was housing and clothing while things like leisure, transport and others are having the minimal part of the weekly income.

On the other hand, spending money on food decreased sharply, people now are focusing more on leisure and on luxury houses however, transport is the third highest by 14% and thats why fuel and power is automatically reduced. Moreover, clothing, personal goods also decreased but household remained the same to 1968 at 8%.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response fails to meet the minimum word count requirement of 150 words, which negatively impacts the overall task achievement. While you have identified some main features, the analysis is somewhat superficial. For example, you mention that 'leisure' and 'transport' had minimal parts in 1968, but you do not provide the specific data points to support this. Furthermore, the description of the 2018 data is slightly inaccurate; for instance, you describe 'luxury houses' which is not explicitly supported by the provided chart categories. To improve, ensure you include specific figures for all key trends and avoid adding external interpretations not present in the data.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The essay has a basic structure with an introduction, an overview, and body paragraphs. However, the progression of ideas is sometimes disjointed. The use of cohesive devices is limited and occasionally mechanical, such as the repetitive use of 'and' to connect clauses. Paragraphing is present, but the transition between the 1968 data and the 2018 data could be smoother. To improve, try using a wider variety of linking words and phrases (e.g., 'In contrast,' 'Furthermore,' 'Conversely') to better connect your sentences and guide the reader through your comparison.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

Your vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks the precision and range required for a higher band. There are several spelling errors, such as 'preffered' and 'spoecific,' which detract from the professional tone. You rely on basic descriptors like 'cared more about' or 'minimal part,' which are not ideal for academic reporting. To improve, focus on using more precise terminology related to data analysis, such as 'expenditure,' 'proportion,' 'fluctuated,' or 'accounted for,' and ensure you proofread your work to eliminate simple spelling mistakes.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. For example, 'the way weekly income is being spent is changed' should be 'has changed,' and 'the other two ways was housing' should be 'were housing.' Additionally, there are issues with subject-verb agreement and punctuation, such as the missing apostrophe in 'thats.' To improve, focus on mastering basic sentence construction and subject-verb agreement, and try to incorporate more varied complex structures while ensuring they are grammatically accurate.

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