Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-12

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 chart here gives data about the families in a country spent their weekly allowance in 1968 and in 2018.

In 1968, they spent less income on thier weekly bases but in 2018 they spent more income on leisure. Another huge difference was in food. In 1968 they spent huge amount of money on their food but if now we look at the food ratios, they use equally half amount of their money in food as compared to 1968.

the minor amount changes occur in fuel and power, clothing and footwear etc.

For household goods they use same amount as before and now. For personal goods they used almost 8% but in 2018 they use only 5%.

Overall, they used 35% of weekly income in food but in 2018 used only 15%...its a huge difference but if we look at housing they use less amount as compared to 2018. Remaining items does not have huge difference.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify several important comparisons, including the fall in food spending, the rise in leisure and housing, and the unchanged share for household goods. However, the overview is not clearly separated from the details, and some figures or descriptions are inaccurate: food is reported as 15% in 2018 rather than about 17%, and personal goods are given as 5% rather than about 4%. The claim that families spent “less income” overall in 1968 is not supported by this chart, which shows proportions by category, not total weekly spending. The statement that the remaining items show little change also overlooks transport’s rise from 8% to 14%. Select the main contrasts accurately and summarise them in a clear overview.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5

The response includes relevant points and uses basic linking expressions such as “Another huge difference,” “For household goods,” and “Overall.” These help the reader recognise some comparisons. However, the information does not progress in a clear, planned sequence: the opening moves straight into details, and the final paragraph repeats the food and housing comparisons rather than providing a distinct overview. Several ideas are joined loosely, while “etc.” and the vague reference to “Remaining items” leave the comparison incomplete. Organise the response into a brief introduction, an overview of the main changes, and grouped details—for example, rising categories followed by falling or stable ones. Use clear references and avoid repeating the same figures.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some task-relevant vocabulary, including “weekly income,” “food,” “housing,” and “household goods,” so the main subject is generally understandable. However, the range is limited and several expressions are imprecise or repetitive. “Spent huge amount of money” and “use equally half amount” are awkward ways to describe proportions, while “minor amount changes” does not clearly identify which categories changed. There are also spelling errors, including “thier” and “footware,” and informal wording such as “if now we look.” Aim for precise language for chart trends and proportions, and check spelling. For example, describe a category’s share as rising, falling, remaining stable, or accounting for a stated percentage.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response attempts some longer sentences, such as “In 1968 they spent huge amount of money on their food but if now we look at the food ratios…,” but these are often faulty or difficult to follow. There are recurring problems with articles and sentence structure: “spent huge amount” needs an article, and “the families in a country spent their weekly allowance” does not form a clear grammatical description of the chart. Tense and agreement are also inconsistent, as in “they used” followed by “they use,” and “Remaining items does not.” Capitalisation and punctuation are uneven, particularly the lowercase “the” after a full stop and the ellipsis in the final paragraph. Practise accurate simple comparisons before adding complex clauses.

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