Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

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

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 illustrates the information about the in what way families used their weekly income in their country in 1968 and in 2018.

Overall, most of the people weekly income consumed by food in 1968 and only small figure of income spent in

fuel and power items in both years.

In 1968, the rate of consumption of weekly income on food was appoximately 30% and standing on top in both years while for housing and clothing or footware products consume about 10% income from weekly income. Only 5% to 10% on income spent on Fuel and power, household goods,personal goods,transport and leisure products and the most least income consumed on fuel and power about 6%.

In 2008, the amount of income was consumed on leisure approximately 23% of weekly income while for food and housing about 15% to 20% of weekly budget consumed. Transport consumed 16% from income. Clothing and footware and household goods consume 5% to10% of income while other twao fuel and power and personal goods standing at aproximately 4%.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

The response identifies the chart’s subject and gives an overview, noting that food was a major expense in 1968 and that fuel and power was low in both years. However, the overview is incomplete and partly inaccurate: food was not the highest category in both years, since leisure was highest in 2018. Several figures are also misreported or too imprecise: food in 1968 was about 35%, not 30%; in 2018 it was about 17%, rather than a broad 15–20%; and transport was about 14%, not 16%. The year is incorrectly given as 2008. The response mentions most categories but does not clearly compare the main shifts, especially the fall in food spending and rises in leisure, housing and transport. Select the largest changes and report them accurately.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has a basic structure: an introduction, an overview and separate descriptions of the two years. This gives the reader some organisation, and phrases such as “Overall” and “In 1968” signal the sections. However, progression within the body is weak because many categories are grouped together without a clear comparison, and the final sentence’s “other twao” reference is difficult to follow. The overview also combines claims that do not accurately summarise the chart, which disrupts the line of argument. Improve cohesion by grouping categories according to their changes—for example, spending that rose versus spending that fell—and use clear references and transitions to connect the two years.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The response uses some task-related vocabulary, including “weekly income,” “consumed,” “approximately” and “transport,” so the topic is generally recognisable. However, the range is limited and several expressions are unnatural or repetitive, such as “the rate of consumption of weekly income on food” and “income consumed on fuel and power.” “Products” is also an imprecise label for spending categories, while “the most least income” is not an appropriate expression. Spelling errors, including “appoximately,” “footware” and “twao,” further reduce accuracy. Use concise chart language and vary verbs appropriately: for example, say that families “spent” or “allocated” a proportion of their income to a category.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

There are attempts to form longer sentences, but control is inconsistent and errors frequently make the meaning harder to follow. The opening phrase “the information about the in what way” has a faulty structure, and “most of the people weekly income consumed by food” lacks a clear grammatical subject and verb. Agreement and verb forms are also problematic in “products consume about 10%” and “household goods consume 5% to 10%,” where the chart description needs a consistent past-tense or present-tense construction. Articles and prepositions are often missing or awkward, as in “spent on Fuel and power.” Build accurate simple comparison sentences first, then add subordinate clauses only when their structure is secure.

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