Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-02
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 provided bar chart compares information about how families in one country spent their weekly income between 1968 and 2018. The data are presented in percentage.
Overall, food stand at the highest percentage making it the largest proportion, as compared to fuel and power which contained lowest percentage. However; Housing, clothing and footware accounted for the second largest proportions of spending. Moreover, housing and transport were at the third position.
In 1968, Food stood at highest percentage making it the largest sector of that
year about 35%, as compared to fuel and power which is accounted for the lowest proportion of that year approximately 5%. Moreover, Housing, clothing and footware stood at the same level about 10%, However; transport and personal goods were at the same proportion 9%, percentage of leisure is slightly higher approximately 10%.
Moreover; In 2018, Percentage of leisure is about 23% making it the highest proportion of that year, as compared to housing which accountes for 20%, making it the second largest percentage. However; Fuel, power and personal goods were reside at the same level about 5%, Percentage of household goods slightly higher than other proportions.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 4.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.0
The response attempts to address the task by comparing weekly spending in 1968 and 2018, but it does so only partially. Some of the information reported is inaccurate or confusingly stated, such as claiming that food contained the lowest percentage in the overview paragraph, which contradicts both the chart and the student's own later details. Furthermore, the selection of features lacks clarity and focus, presenting a limited and under-developed overview of the main trends. The comparisons made between categories are frequently muddled, resulting in a minimal response to the prompt's requirements.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0
There is some basic organisation into paragraphs, but the response lacks a clear overall progression. Cohesive devices are used awkwardly or inaccurately, such as the frequent and incorrect use of semicolons (e.g., 'However;') and repetitive transitional phrases like 'Moreover'. Referencing between sentences is sometimes unclear, making the logical relationship between data points difficult to follow. Paragraphing is attempted, but the internal structure of the body paragraphs lacks seamless sequencing and clear development.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The vocabulary used is limited but minimally adequate to convey basic data, such as 'percentage', 'proportion', and 'highest'. However, there are noticeable lexical errors and awkward collocations, such as 'fuel and power which contained lowest percentage' and 'reside at the same level'. Spelling errors also occur, such as 'footware' instead of footwear. These errors and the restricted range of vocabulary mean the writing does not achieve the flexibility required for higher bands.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
The writer uses a limited range of sentence structures, and attempts at more complex sentences are frequently faulty, leading to frequent grammatical errors. There are issues with subject-verb agreement and tense consistency, such as 'food stand at', 'which is accounted for', and 'housing which accountes for'. Punctuation is also problematic, notably the incorrect use of semicolons and commas throughout the text. These frequent errors can cause some difficulty for the reader in parsing the intended meaning.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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