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 coloum graph compares the families spent their weekly expendiure in eight different categories in 1968 and in 2018 by one country.

Overall, in 1968 families are spent most of the weekly income in food, whereas after 60 years they spent most of the part of their income in leisure activity.

To begin with, 35 % of weekly income was spent by families in food. Which was shared the largest proportion compre to the others need.They spent similar percentage on Housing, clothing and footware was 10 %. followed by House hold goods, transpoart and personal goods accounted for 7%. they spent least percentage on fuel and power which was 6 % only.

Whereas, in 2018 people spent of their weekly income most in leisure activity which was 23 % compare to psat 6 decades they spent half on food was 17 %. surprisingly hosing was

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response4.5
Coherence and Cohesion5.0
Lexical Resource5.0
Grammatical Range and Accuracy4.5
Overall5.0

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

You identify the main contrast accurately: food is the largest category in 1968, while leisure is largest in 2018, and you report several relevant figures for the earlier year. However, the response addresses the task only partially because the 2018 description is cut off at “surprisingly hosing was” and gives no completed comparison for housing or the other categories. Some 1968 figures are also inaccurate: household goods, transport and personal goods are each 8%, not 7%, and clothing and footwear is 10%. The overview is relevant, but the report needs a complete account of the later year and more accurate selection of key comparisons. It is also five words below the required minimum.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

There is a basic attempt to organise the report into an introduction, an overview and two body sections, and phrases such as “Overall,” “To begin with” and “Whereas” signal the intended progression. However, the sequence is not sustained: the final paragraph stops mid-sentence, leaving the 2018 information incomplete and the comparison unfinished. Some links are also awkward or unclear, as in “Which was shared the largest proportion compre to the others need,” while “Whereas” does not introduce a complete contrasting clause. Use complete paragraphs with a clear order—overview, then 1968 details, then 2018 details—and connect comparisons directly and accurately.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The response uses some task-relevant vocabulary, including “weekly income,” “proportion,” “accounted for” and “category,” so the reader can recognise the subject. However, the range is limited and several spelling and word-choice errors make parts difficult to understand: “coloum,” “expendiure,” “compre,” “transpoart” and “psat.” Phrases such as “spent most of the part of their income” and “others need” are also unnatural or unclear. Aim for accurate chart language and collocations, for example “accounted for the largest share” and “spending on housing.” Proofreading spelling and choosing precise category names would make the information easier to follow.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

You attempt both simple statements and longer structures, and the opening sentence communicates the chart’s general subject. However, grammatical control is weak and errors frequently affect clarity. Examples include “compares the families spent,” which lacks a grammatical link between the chart and the spending, and “families are spent,” where the verb form is incorrect. The fragment “Which was shared the largest proportion” is not a complete sentence, and “clothing and footware was 10 %” has faulty sentence structure and agreement. The final clause, “surprisingly hosing was,” is also unfinished. Practise complete sentences with accurate past-tense forms, and check agreement, articles and punctuation before submitting.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.