Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-11

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 the information about how families in one country spent their weekly income in 1968 and in 2018.

Overall, the chart gives information about food, housig, fuel and power, clothing and footware, housing goods, personal goods, transport and leisure.

To begin with food, which quantity is higher in 1968 like 35 percent and 17 percent in 2018, housing contain 10 percent in 1968 and 19 percent in 2018, also fuel and power measure 6 percent in 1968 and 4 percent in 2018. While on the other hand, clothing and footware contain weekly income of a family in 1968 is10 percent but in 2018 is 5 percent.

On the other hand, household goods contain same weekly income of family such as 8 percent in both 1968 and 2018, while personal goods measure 8 percent of family income in 1968 and 4 percent in 2018. Furthermore, transport occupy 8 percent in 1968 and 14 percent in 2018. Moreover, leasuire which quantity is 9 percent in 1968 while 22 percent in 2018.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You report figures for all eight categories, and most match the chart, including food (35% to 17%), housing (10% to 19%) and leisure (9% to 22%). However, the overview mainly lists categories rather than identifying the main changes. A useful overview would highlight that food was the largest expense in 1968, while leisure became the largest in 2018, and that several categories fell. Some comparisons are present, but the response does not clearly group or prioritise the most significant features. Also, “housing goods” appears where the chart says “household goods.” To strengthen the response, state the overall patterns explicitly, then select the most notable rises and falls for comparison.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has an introduction, an overview paragraph and two body paragraphs, and the categories are generally presented in a recognisable sequence. However, the overview does not function as a clear summary, and the body paragraphs read largely as a list of figures rather than a progression organised around key trends. Linking phrases such as “To begin with,” “On the other hand” and “Moreover” are used, but some are repetitive or do not express a meaningful contrast. For example, “On the other hand” introduces household and personal goods without a clear opposing point. Grouping increases together and decreases together, and using fewer, more precise transitions, would make the information easier to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use relevant chart vocabulary such as “weekly income,” “percent,” “measure” and “occupy,” so the topic is generally understandable. However, the range is limited and several choices are inaccurate or unnatural, including “which quantity is higher,” “housing contain” and “household goods contain same weekly income.” There are also spelling errors in “housig,” “footware” and “leasuire,” and “housing goods” misnames the chart category. These errors make the description less precise and sometimes slow the reader. Aim for accurate reporting verbs and collocations, such as “accounted for,” “rose to” and “fell to,” and check the spelling of category labels against the chart.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt some longer sentence forms, including comparisons joined with “while” and “also,” but the response relies heavily on simple patterns and several complex attempts are faulty. For example, “To begin with food, which quantity is higher in 1968 like 35 percent and 17 percent in 2018” lacks a clear grammatical structure, while “housing contain 10 percent” has a subject–verb agreement error. The sentence beginning “While on the other hand” is also an incomplete construction, and punctuation and spacing are inconsistent, as in “is10 percent.” These problems sometimes make relationships between figures difficult to interpret. Practise complete comparison sentences with clear subjects and verbs, and use a full stop rather than joining several comparisons into one sentence.

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