Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-16

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)

Given bar graph reveals the data about how the families in one country spent their weekly income in the years of 1968 and 2018.

The bar graph contains the percentage of the weekly income towards the X-axis. On the other hand, Y-axis shows the fields of expenditure.

In 1968 the weekly income spent on the food was 35% that was greater than in 2018. In 2018 that was about 17%. On housing the expense spent was 10% in 1968 and this was increased upto 19% in 2028. The weekly income spent on fuel and power was approximately 6% in 1968 and was 4% in 2018. If we see the weekly spwnt on clothing and footware that was 10% in 1968 that was decreased to half in 2018. For household goods the weekly expense was about 7% in 1968 which remained same in the year of 2018.

Now look at personal goods, the weekly income expense was 7% in 1968 and it was about 4% in 2018. Weekly income expense on the transport was 7% in 1968 that was increased to about 14% in 2018. Similarly, the expense on leisure was 9% in 1968 that was inclines to about 22% in 2018.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

You report several relevant figures and comparisons, including food falling from 35% to 17%, housing rising from 10% to about 19%, and leisure increasing from 9% to about 22%. However, the response lacks a clear overview of the main pattern: spending shifted away from food and several smaller categories towards leisure, housing and transport. Some figures are inaccurate or imprecise: household goods was 8% in both years, not about 7%, and transport was 8% in 1968, not 7%. You also give 2028 for housing instead of 2018. The response mainly lists categories rather than selecting and highlighting the most significant features, so the task is only partially addressed. Add a concise overview and check each comparison against the chart.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response follows a generally understandable order, moving through the spending categories, and phrases such as “On the other hand” and “Similarly” attempt to connect ideas. However, it is presented as one long block, with no clear paragraphing or distinct overview. The repeated pattern “the weekly income spent on…” makes the progression feel like a list rather than a developed summary, while “Now look at personal goods” is conversational and interrupts the report-like flow. Some linking is also imprecise: “Similarly” does not clearly explain the relationship between transport and leisure. Group the information into an introduction, an overview, and one or two comparison paragraphs, using links that show contrast or shared trends.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use relevant topic vocabulary, including “weekly income,” “housing,” “fuel and power,” and “household goods,” so the reader can identify the categories being compared. However, the range is limited and several expressions are awkward or repetitive. “The weekly income expense” and “the expense spent” are unnatural collocations; “spending on” or “the proportion allocated to” would be clearer. There are also noticeable spelling and word-form errors, such as “footware,” “spwnt,” and “inclines.” These reduce precision and make the report less fluent, although the intended meaning is usually recoverable. Aim for accurate chart language and vary repeated phrases without using conversational expressions.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt some longer sentences to compare the two years, and the basic meaning of most comparisons can be followed. However, the range of sentence structures is limited, and errors occur frequently in sentence formation and tense. For example, “On housing the expense spent was 10%” has an awkward grammatical structure, while “this was increased upto 19% in 2028” uses an incorrect passive form and an incorrect year. The opening, “Given bar graph reveals,” is missing an article, and several clauses are joined without clear punctuation. Practise concise comparison structures such as “Housing rose from 10% in 1968 to 19% in 2018” and check articles, verb forms, and sentence boundaries.

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

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