Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-05

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 chart illustrates that how families in one contry spent their weekly income in the yaer 1968 and in 2018

Overall it is clear that the families were spent their income on food followed by leisure another noticeable feature is that families who get more income spend more on food in the year 1968.

Firstly in the year 1968 Highest amount of their weekly income was spent on food followed by clothing, footwear and housing wheras leisure stands in third postion and families were spent least amount on fuel and power.

In 2008 Percentage of amount spent on food reduced gradually as comapred with amount spent on the year 1968 whereas spending on housing increased significantly in the year 2008 furthermore,families invested equal amount of income on clothing household goods and personals goods in 2018, these items investment flactuates over the years in addition families were spent more on lesiure and transport and as compared with both the years it increased dramatically.

At last families investment flactuates according the percentage of weekly income in 1968 and in 2018.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

The response attempts to address the task by summarizing the main features of the 1968 and 2018 spending chart, but it only does so partially. While some key categories like food and leisure are mentioned, several ideas are underdeveloped or confused. For instance, the statement that 'families who get more income spend more on food in the year 1968' misinterprets the data, as the chart shows percentages rather than absolute income levels. Furthermore, the overview lacks clarity and the conclusion simply repeats vague points without synthesizing the main trends effectively. To reach a higher level, the writer needs to ensure accurate reporting of the data without misinterpreting the units, and provide a clearer, more comprehensive overview of the primary changes over the fifty-year period.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

There is some basic organization with an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion, but the response lacks a clear overall progression. The use of cohesive devices is frequently faulty, mechanical, or entirely missing between clauses and sentences. For example, sentences often run together without proper punctuation, such as missing full stops between the introductory sentence and the body. Paragraphing is attempted, but internal cohesion is weak due to repetitive phrasing and inadequate linking words like 'Firstly' and 'At last'. To improve, the writer should use a wider variety of accurate cohesive ties, ensure sentences are demarcated with correct punctuation, and logically sequence comparisons between the two years rather than listing points randomly.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is limited and barely adequate for the task, containing noticeable errors that occasionally impede communication. There are frequent spelling mistakes, such as 'contry', 'yaer', 'wheras', 'comapred', 'flactuates', 'personals', and 'lesiure'. Word choice and form are also imprecise, seen in expressions like 'families were spent' or 'items investment'. The writer attempts some less common vocabulary items, but these attempts are marred by inaccuracies in collocation and form. To achieve a higher band, the student must expand their lexical repertoire, pay closer attention to spelling and word forms, and use terms related to statistical trends, such as 'proportion', 'fluctuate', and 'significantly', with greater precision.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response displays a very limited range of sentence structures, relying heavily on simple or poorly constructed complex forms. There are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text, particularly with verb forms, tense consistency, and voice, such as 'families were spent their income' and 'spending on housing increased significantly in the year 2008 furthermore,families invested'. Articles and prepositions are also frequently misused or omitted. These frequent errors cause difficulty and distraction for the reader. To progress, the writer needs to improve control over basic sentence construction, avoid passive/active confusion in past tenses, ensure proper subject-verb agreement, and apply correct punctuation to separate independent clauses.

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

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