Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-03

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 data presents how households in one country spent their weekly pay in 1968 and in 2018. Overall, the citizens spent a significant amount of their weekly wage on food and that was the rising score throughout the period. However, some residents spent a lot of their weekly salary on leisure things. The figure remained stable on household goods during both years. In 1968, people spent over 35% of their weekly pay on eating food, whereas weekly income spend on housing was 10%, fuel and power 16%, clothing and footware 10% same as housing, household goods 8%, personal goods 7%, transport 8%, lesiure 9%, the figure stayed constant among the last four categories. In 2018, people spent 16% on food then there was a slight increase in the figure. For housing 20%, for fuel and power 4%, for clothing and footware 5%, for household goods 8%, for personal goods 4%, for transport 13%, for leisure 22%, that was the highest percentage in 2018.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

The response addresses the task only partially and presents some confusion in reporting the data. For instance, the student states that food was 'the rising score throughout the period', but the chart clearly shows that spending on food decreased significantly from 35% in 1968 to 17% in 2018. Additionally, some figures are inaccurately reported, such as claiming fuel and power was 16% in 1968 when the chart indicates 6%. While there is an attempt at an overview, it contains contradictions and inaccuracies. To reach a higher level, the response needs to accurately report the main trends and key features without misinterpreting the graphical data, ensuring that all comparisons are grounded strictly in the provided visual evidence.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5

There is some basic organisation in the response, but it lacks a clear overall progression. The essay is presented almost as a single, dense block of text with only two paragraphs, and paragraphing is not used effectively to separate the overview from the detailed body points. Furthermore, cohesive devices are often repetitive or inadequate, relying heavily on basic sequencing and conjunctions like 'then' and 'for' lists rather than smooth transitions. Referencing is sometimes unclear, making it difficult for the reader to follow the logical development of ideas. To improve coherence, the writer should structure the response into distinct paragraphs with a clear introduction, an overview paragraph, and well-organised body paragraphs using a wider range of appropriate cohesive devices.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is limited but minimally adequate for the task, allowing the student to communicate basic information about categories and percentages. However, there are noticeable errors in word choice, spelling, and word form, such as 'footware' instead of 'footwear', 'lesiure' instead of 'leisure', and awkward phrasing like 'leisure things'. The range of vocabulary is restricted, and attempts to use less-common lexical items are hindered by these inaccuracies, which occasionally cause confusion for the reader. To achieve a higher band, the student needs to use a broader range of precise vocabulary relating to data trends and ensure correct spelling and collocations throughout the response.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response shows a very limited range of sentence structures, relying mostly on simple statements and repetitive listing formats (e.g., 'For housing 20%, for fuel and power 4%...'). When the writer attempts more complex sentences, they are often faulty or ungrammatical, such as 'whereas weekly income spend on housing was 10%', where the participle is misused. There are frequent errors in grammatical patterns, prepositions, and verb forms that can cause some difficulty for the reader. To improve in this criterion, the student must incorporate a greater variety of complex grammatical structures with better control over clause construction, agreement, and prepositional use.

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