Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-21

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 chart below compare the families in one country spent their weekly income in 1968 and 2018.

Overall, the chart illustrates average weekly spending by the by familiesin 1968 and 2018.

First of all, the diagram show the food, spending a weekly income by families in 1968 and 2018. In 1968, families spending a weekly income on food 35%in 1968 and 18% in 2018. secondly, the families spent weekly income on housing 10% in 1968 and 18% in 2018. Thirdly, the families spent the weekiy income on fuel and power 7% in 1968 and 4% in 2018. The families spent the income on clothing and footware 10% in 1968 or 5% in 2018. The families spent on Household goods are same persentage in 1968 and 2018, or the spending money on personal goods 8% in 1968 and 3% in 2018. And the families spendig the money ontreansport 7% in 1968 and 14 percent in 2018. At the last, about Leisure, eight percent in 1968 and 22 percentin 2018.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You cover all eight spending categories and make several relevant comparisons, including food falling from 35% to about 18%, housing rising from 10% to about 18%, and leisure increasing to 22%. However, the response is mainly a list of figures rather than a summary of the chart’s main features. The overview repeats that the chart shows spending in two years but does not identify the key overall shifts, such as food being the largest item in 1968 while leisure is largest in 2018. Some figures are also inaccurate: fuel and power is about 6%, not 7%, in 1968, and personal goods is about 4%, not 3%, in 2018. A clearer overview and more accurate selection of key comparisons would strengthen the response.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5

The response follows a generally understandable order, moving through the categories, and sequencing phrases such as “First of all,” “secondly,” and “Thirdly” help signal progression. However, the information is presented as one long paragraph, with no clear separation between an introduction, overview, and detailed comparisons. The repeated “The families spent…” construction makes the progression mechanical, while “And” and “At the last” are awkward links. Some references are also unclear, as in “the chart illustrates average weekly spending by the by families.” Organise the response into distinct paragraphs and group the most important increases and decreases; use linking language to show comparisons rather than simply enumerate categories.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use relevant topic vocabulary, including “weekly income,” “housing,” “fuel and power,” and “personal goods,” so the reader can identify the categories being described. However, the range is limited and several phrases are repetitive or imprecise, particularly repeated uses of “spent the weekly income.” There are also noticeable spelling and word-form errors, such as “weekiy,” “persentage,” “treansport,” and “spendig,” which reduce clarity and control. Some expressions, including “At the last, about Leisure,” are not natural in this context. Aim for accurate chart-reporting verbs and collocations, such as “accounted for,” “rose to,” and “declined to,” while checking spelling and avoiding repeated sentence frames.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

The response attempts simple statements and some longer sentences, but the range of structures is limited and errors occur frequently. For example, “The chart below compare” has incorrect subject–verb agreement, and “the diagram show” repeats this problem. Several clauses are incomplete or awkwardly joined, as in “the diagram show the food, spending a weekly income,” while “families spending a weekly income on food” lacks a correctly formed verb. Articles, punctuation, and sentence boundaries are also inconsistently controlled, making some comparisons harder to follow. Practise forming complete past-tense reporting sentences, for example, “Families spent 35% of their income on food in 1968, compared with 18% in 2018,” and use a wider range of accurately controlled comparison structures.

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