Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-14

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 copmare the average weekly spending families in one country on eight differents items in 1968 and 2018

overall food was the biggest expense at the beginning while liesure and housing became more important later spending and several other items decreased over time

in 1968 families spent the largest share of their weekly income on food at 35% however the figure fell to around 18% in housing spending on clothing and footware 5% to 7% similar the figure fuel and power decreased spending household and goods remained are the same both years

in the contrast spending sharing of thier weekly income in leisure 22% in 2018 while housing was the second largest 18% howerver the food decreased in 2018 at 17% andf personal goods was the lowest 45 to 8% similar transport reached to 8% to 14% of weekly income families shows spending in the largest expense in food and leisure

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the main shift from food to leisure and housing, and you include several relevant figures, such as food falling from 35% to 17% and leisure reaching 22% in 2018. However, coverage is partial and some comparisons are unclear or inaccurate. For example, “the figure fell to around 18% in housing” confuses the food figure with housing, which was about 19% in 2018. The statement that personal goods was “the lowest 45 to 8%” misreports the 1968 value: it was about 8%, falling to 4%. Several categories are mentioned without clear year-to-year figures, and the overview does not summarise the full pattern. Report the key rises and falls accurately and distinguish each category’s values.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has a basic overall structure: an introduction, an overview, and two body sections. The overview also gives the reader a useful starting point by contrasting food with leisure and housing. However, progression within the body paragraphs is difficult to follow because several categories and figures are compressed into long, unclear sequences. For instance, “housing spending on clothing and footware 5% to 7% similar the figure fuel and power decreased” does not make the relationships between items or years clear. Linking phrases such as “in the contrast” and “however” are used, but do not consistently clarify the comparisons. Organise the details by clear groups of changes and use accurate references to the years and categories.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some task-relevant vocabulary, including “average weekly spending,” “largest share,” “decreased,” and “remained,” so the topic is generally recognisable. However, the range is limited and errors in spelling, word form, and collocation are frequent enough to make parts difficult to interpret. Examples include “copmare,” “differents,” “liesure,” “spending sharing,” and “families shows spending.” Some phrases, such as “the figure fell to around 18% in housing,” also use vocabulary in a way that obscures which category is being described. Build a reliable set of terms for describing proportions and changes, and check spelling and natural combinations before using them.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

You attempt to connect ideas with clauses, as in “while leisure and housing became more important later,” but most sentences rely on simple structures, and attempts to combine several comparisons often become faulty. Missing or incorrect sentence boundaries and punctuation make the response hard to parse; for example, the sequence beginning “in 1968 families spent” runs through several categories without clear sentence structure. There are also recurring problems with articles, agreement, and verb forms, as in “families shows” and “household and goods remained are the same.” These errors sometimes interfere with meaning, particularly when figures are compared. Use shorter, complete sentences first, then add controlled clauses with “while” or “whereas,” checking each sentence for a clear subject and verb.

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