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 bar graph illustrates the average weekly spending by families in between 1968 and 2018 in a country.

Overall, The majority proportion of families spent their weekly income on food, and least proportion of families spent on fuel and power, average number of families spent on household goods in both years.

In 1968, The proportion 35% people spent on food , and 10% of families choosed for housing, and household goods, personal goods, leisure, transoprt on these average around 8% and least proportion of people spent on fuel and power.

Additionally, in 2018 around 22% families spent on leisure, also in housing around 17% and in transoprt 13% and in household goods 7% and clothing and footware nearly 5% but 4% in both fuel and power and personal goods also.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.0

The response fails to meet the minimum word length requirement, containing only 130 words compared to the required 150 words. While the writer attempts to address the task by reporting information from the chart, the response is minimal and tangential in several areas. The overview is overly simplistic and contains inaccurate generalisations, such as claiming that a constant average number of families spent money on household goods. Key features and comparisons between 1968 and 2018 are inadequately developed, with data points listed rather than meaningfully synthesised. For instance, food spending is noted at 35% in 1968 and 17% in 2018, but the broader significance of these shifts is not explored, reflecting a limited grasp of the data.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The text shows some basic organisation with an introduction, body paragraphs, and an overall statement, but there is no clear overall progression of ideas. Cohesive devices are used mechanically and inaccurately; for example, the over-reliance on additive transitions like 'and' coupled with commas creates run-on structures that hinder flow. Paragraphing is attempted, but the body paragraphs lack internal cohesion and fail to group information logically. Referencing is also weak, making it difficult for the reader to follow the logical development of comparisons between the two years. More varied and accurate cohesive ties are needed to establish a clear progression.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The lexical range is limited and minimally adequate for the task. The writer relies heavily on basic vocabulary and repeats key terms such as 'proportion', 'families', 'spent', and 'weekly income'. There are noticeable lexical errors, including spelling mistakes like 'transoprt' and 'footware', as well as awkward word choices such as 'choosed for housing'. These errors and the restricted vocabulary range cause some difficulty for the reader and prevent precise reporting of the visual data. To achieve a higher band, the student must incorporate a wider range of less common vocabulary and improve collocation and spelling control.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response displays a very limited range of sentence structures, consisting mostly of simple or poorly constructed compound sentences. Attempts at complex or longer sentences result in frequent errors, such as missing verbs, incorrect prepositions, and faulty clause structures (e.g., 'The proportion 35% people spent on food'). Punctuation is weak, characterised by comma splices and misplaced commas before coordinate clauses. Frequent grammatical errors cause strain and difficulty for the reader throughout the text. A better command of basic sentence architecture and improved control over articles and verb forms are necessary to improve this score.

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