Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-23

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 chart depicts the information about funds in 1968 and 2018 of the families in a nation that how they spend their money weekly.

Overall, mostly expenditure spent on the food, whereas the lowest funds were utilised on the fuel and power in initial year. In last year, mostly wages were consumed by leisure and minimum money spent on the personal goods and fuel and power.

In year 1968, individuals spent their 35% weekly income on the food, while masses in 2018 utilise their money around more than 15% on similar sector. Housing consumed 15% weekly wages in 1968 but in 2018 people spent more about more than 20% expenditure on it. Both year spent their least money on fuel and power which was less than 7%. Only weekly 5% funds was consumed by household goods in 2018 but people in 1968 spent more 5% as compared to year 2018.

In the case of the houshold goods, each of the two years interestingly spent their wages on the similar level around more than 5%. However, personal goods, transport, and leisure contained same amount of funds in year 1968 which was less than 10% but in 2018 people spent 5%, less than 15%, and more than 20% funds on these sectors.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

The candidate attempts to cover the main features of the chart, noting changes between 1968 and 2018. However, there are several inaccuracies in the data reporting. For instance, the student states that housing consumed 15% in 1968, whereas the chart shows 10%. Additionally, the overview is somewhat confused, and the selection of features lacks clarity and precision. The response covers the task and attempts comparisons, but some data points are misread or generalized inaccurately, which places this response firmly at Band 5.0.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response is organized into paragraphs, attempting an introduction, an overview, and body paragraphs. However, the progression of ideas is often disjointed and difficult to follow. Cohesive devices are used awkwardly or repetitively (e.g., 'In year 1968', 'In the case of the houshold goods'). Paragraphing is present, but internal cohesion is faulty, and referencing is sometimes unclear, leading to a Band 5.0 performance under this criterion.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is relatively basic and repetitive, with frequent awkward phrasings such as 'funds in 1968 and 2018 of the families' and 'mostly expenditure spent on the food'. There are noticeable lexical errors, such as misspelling 'houshold' and confusing 'funds', 'wages', and 'expenditure'. While the range is minimally adequate to convey the general topic, the recurrent inaccuracies place it at Band 5.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The candidate attempts some complex sentence structures, but these are frequently faulty. Examples include 'mostly expenditure spent on the food' and 'people in 1968 spent more 5% as compared to year 2018.' There are frequent grammatical errors in verb forms, prepositions, and comparative structures that cause difficulty for the reader and obscure meaning at times. This corresponds to a Band 5.0 for grammatical accuracy.

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

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