Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-15

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 illustrates the update about how families in one nation allocated their weekly income between 1968 and 2018. Overall, the income spent in food items utilized the significant increase percentage among all spendings, while the amount use in fuel and power had the lowest proportion.Weekly spendings on household goods are relatively in the same percentage in both years. Spending on food items had a significant increase in 1968, at almost 35% that went down in 2018 at almost 17%. Money spent on clothing and footware were at 10% in 1968, while in 2018 it gradually decrease at t

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 4.0

The response is significantly under the minimum length requirement, containing only 100 words compared to the required 150. Consequently, the development of main features is cut short and incomplete, ending abruptly in the middle of a sentence ("while in 2018 it gradually decrease at t"). While the writer attempts to introduce the graph and mention a few features—such as food spending and household goods—the lack of completion severely impacts the task fulfillment. Data interpretation also contains inaccuracies; for instance, the writer states that food spending had a significant increase in 1968, whereas the chart shows it was actually the highest expenditure that subsequently decreased. Due to the severe length penalty and incomplete overview, the task achievement is limited.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The text is organized into an introduction and a short body paragraph, but the abrupt ending disrupts the overall logical flow and paragraph structure. Cohesive devices are minimal, relying on simple phrases like "Overall" and "while". Referencing is sometimes confusing, as seen in the phrasing "the income spent in food items utilized the significant increase percentage", which lacks clarity. Paragraphing is inadequate because the response cuts off mid-sentence, preventing a cohesive conclusion or full development of body points. Progression is evident at the very beginning, but breaks down quickly.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is generally basic and repetitive. Phrases such as "how families in one nation allocated their weekly income" demonstrate a minimally adequate range, but word choices and collocations are frequently unnatural or incorrect. For example, writing "utilized the significant increase percentage" is semantically awkward and unidiomatic. There are also vocabulary errors and typos, such as "footware" (footwear) and "decrease at t" (decreasing to). The range of vocabulary is sufficient only for the most basic communication of the task data.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, but control over grammar is weak. There are noticeable errors that affect clarity, such as "the income spent in food items utilized the significant increase percentage among all spendings", where prepositions and verb choices are incorrect ("spent on" rather than "spent in", and "accounted for" rather than "utilized"). Furthermore, the sentence structure breaks down entirely at the end of the response ("while in 2018 it gradually decrease at t"), leaving an incomplete thought. Punctuation and tense usage also show persistent flaws.

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