Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-08

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 4.5)

The bar chart compares the families in one nation spent their weekly income in 1968 and 2018.

Overall, individuals fund mostly on food and leisure ,whereas spent least on fuel andpower. In addition,where the people who allocated on food was declining in the second year, spending on leisure was rising.

In 1968, food was at 35% and peaked ,while people funding in housing was little compared to food ,at 10% followed by

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.0

You identify the chart’s subject and include two relevant comparisons: food falls from 35% in 1968, and leisure rises by 2018. However, the response addresses the task only minimally: it stops mid-sentence after “followed by” and gives no account of most categories or their 2018 figures. The overview is also inaccurate when it says families spent the most on “food and leisure” overall; food was highest in 1968, while leisure was highest in 2018. The claim that spending was least on fuel and power is not true for 1968, when it was 6% and clothing was 10%, but it was the lowest in 2018. The response is 72 words, below the required 150, leaving the summary substantially incomplete. Include a complete overview and key comparisons across both years.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5

There is a basic attempt to organise the response: an opening sentence is followed by an overview and then a paragraph beginning with 1968. Linking words such as “Overall,” “In addition,” and “while” show an effort to connect information. However, the progression is not sustained because the final sentence breaks off at “followed by,” and there is no completed comparison of the remaining categories or the second year. The overview’s ideas are also joined awkwardly, as in “In addition,where,” and the relationship between the two years is not consistently clear. Use separate, complete paragraphs for the overview and the main comparisons, and ensure each sentence leads logically to the next.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The response uses some relevant chart vocabulary, including “bar chart,” “weekly income,” “allocated,” and “peaked,” so the topic is generally recognisable. However, several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or unnatural: “individuals fund mostly on food,” “people funding in housing,” and “spent least on fuel andpower.” These choices make parts of the meaning difficult to follow, and “individuals” is less precise than “families” for this chart. There is also a spelling/spacing problem in “andpower.” Aim for clear, conventional reporting language such as “families spent,” “accounted for,” and “the lowest proportion.” A wider set of accurate terms for increases, decreases, and proportions would help you describe all the categories without repetition.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple statements and a more complex comparison using “whereas” and “while,” but control is inconsistent. The opening sentence is missing a grammatical link: “compares the families in one nation spent” should be “compares how families in one nation spent.” In “whereas spent least,” the subject is missing, and “the people who allocated on food was declining” has an unclear clause structure and faulty agreement. The sentence beginning “In 1968” is also incomplete, ending with “followed by.” Punctuation and spacing need attention, particularly “leisure ,whereas” and “In addition,where.” Practise complete sentences with a clear subject and verb, and check agreement and punctuation before finishing.

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