Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-13

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 below gives information about how families spent their weekly income in one country in both years 1968 and 2018.

Overall, it is clear that food had the highest figures, while, fuel and power recorded the lowest figures. Furthermore, spent amount slightly decrease in 2018 from 1968 or difference can be observed in the bar chart.

The families spent the highest of income on food in 1968 around 35% and on housing 10%. While, fuel and power approximately 6%, clothing and footware around 10% and household goods 8%. Personal goods and transport shows the same figure approximately 8%, leisure represents minimum 9%.

However, in 2018 families spent the income on food 17% and housing shows 10%. While, fuel and power

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 3.5

You identify the chart’s subject and report several 1968 figures accurately, including food at about 35%, housing and clothing at 10%, and fuel and power at 6%. However, the response is incomplete and only partially addresses the task: it stops mid-sentence while describing 2018, omitting most of that year’s categories and the key comparisons. It also incorrectly says housing was 10% in 2018; the chart shows about 19%. The overview that food was highest and fuel and power lowest is not accurate across both years, since leisure was highest in 2018 and fuel and power was lowest. The response is 122 words, below the required 150. To improve, complete the summary, give an accurate overview of the major shifts, and select the most important comparisons.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

There is a basic paragraph structure: an introduction, an overview, and separate descriptions of the two years. This gives the reader some organisation, and “Overall” and “However” signal intended relationships. Nevertheless, progression is limited because the 2018 paragraph ends abruptly at “While, fuel and power,” leaving the comparison unfinished. Several sentences also read as disconnected lists of figures rather than a developed account, and “Furthermore” introduces an unclear claim about spending decreasing. Use complete paragraphs that group the main changes—for example, declining food spending alongside rising leisure, housing and transport—and connect comparisons explicitly. Avoid beginning a sentence with “While” unless it is joined to a main clause.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The response uses relevant chart vocabulary such as “weekly income,” “figures,” “approximately,” and “represents,” and it names the spending categories, so the topic is generally understandable. However, the range is limited and some expressions are imprecise or unnatural, including “spent amount,” “spent the highest of income,” and “leisure represents minimum 9%.” “Footware” is also misspelled; the standard spelling is “footwear.” Repeated use of “spent” and “shows” makes the description less varied. Aim for accurate collocations such as “accounted for,” “the proportion allocated to,” and “expenditure on,” while keeping the wording concise and precise. These improvements would make the comparisons clearer without requiring unnecessarily complex vocabulary.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple statements and more complex structures, including “Overall, it is clear that…” and a contrast introduced with “While.” However, control is uneven, and several sentence patterns are incomplete or faulty. For example, “While, fuel and power approximately 6%” has no main verb, and the final sentence also breaks off before completing the thought. In “Personal goods and transport shows,” the plural subject requires “show.” The overview phrase “spent amount slightly decrease” also has an agreement and verb-form problem; a clearer construction would be “the amount spent decreased slightly.” Practise complete clauses, subject–verb agreement, and consistent past-tense reporting. Use “while” within a complete sentence rather than as a fragment.

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