Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

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

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 compares avearge weekly spent income by families in 1968 and in 2018. The units are measeured in persentage.

Overall, it is clear that highest amount of money spent was on food in 1968 and on leisure in 2018. However, least amonut of money spent was on fuel and power in both years.

Firstly in 1961, expanditure on food alone accounted for 30% of weekly income. Whereas on housing, clothing and footware it was exactly 10% accounting for 2nd highest. Similary, on household goods, personal goods, transport and leisure spending almost same amount below 10%.

Whereas in 2008, lisure being the highest spend money on above 20%. On remaining, essentails ( fuel and power, clothing and footware, household goods and transport) goods/needs the expanditure was below 10%. While housing and food almost accouted below 20%.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

You identify the chart’s broad pattern: food is the largest category in 1968, while leisure is largest in 2018, and fuel and power is among the smallest in both years. However, the response only partially reports the data and contains important inaccuracies: the years are 1968 and 2018, not 1961 and 2008, and food in 1968 is about 35%, not 30%. The claim that clothing and footwear was 10% in 1968 is correct, but it was not the only category at that level, as housing was also 10%. Several 2018 figures are grouped vaguely or incorrectly; for example, transport was about 14%, not below 10%. The response is also 13 words below the required minimum. Include accurate key comparisons and enough detail to summarise the chart fully.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has a basic paragraph structure, with an introduction, an overview and two paragraphs comparing the years. This gives the reader some sense of organisation, and words such as “Overall,” “Firstly” and “Whereas” signal relationships between ideas. However, progression is limited: the final two paragraphs do not consistently organise categories by importance or change, and the repeated “Whereas” makes the connections feel mechanical. The sentence beginning “Whereas on housing…” is also a fragment, while the final paragraph combines several categories in a way that is difficult to follow. Group the figures into clear comparisons—for example, categories that rose, fell or stayed similar—and use complete sentences with more precise linking.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant chart vocabulary, including “accounted for,” “weekly income,” “highest” and “expenditure,” and you attempt to describe categories collectively. However, the range is limited and several word choices or spellings make the report less clear. Examples include “spent income,” “highest spend money,” “essentails” and “expanditure”; “footware” is also misspelled. “Almost same amount” is imprecise for categories with different values, and “remaining essentials … goods/needs” is awkward and unclear. Aim for accurate, natural phrases such as “share of weekly income,” “accounted for,” and “the remaining categories.” Check spelling carefully and use specific verbs such as “rose,” “fell” or “remained unchanged” to describe the data.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt some complex sentence forms, including contrast clauses with “Whereas” and “While,” and the overview communicates the main pattern. However, the range is limited, and attempts at longer structures are often faulty. “Whereas on housing, clothing and footware it was exactly 10%” is not a complete sentence, and “lisure being the highest spend money on above 20%” lacks a clear grammatical structure. There are also problems with articles and sentence construction in “the highest amount of money spent was on food” and “housing and food almost accouted below 20%.” Use straightforward complete sentences first, then add subordinate clauses accurately. For example: “In 2018, leisure accounted for about 22%, while fuel and power represented only 4%.”

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