Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-22

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)

This graph shows families in one country spent their weekly income on eights types of things in 1968 and 2018.

Overall, the highest amount spent on food that was highest, and least of income was spent on fuel and power, others some was stay constant or someone was slightly went up or went down.

by 1968, most imcome spent on food 35%, now it goes down and get down at 17%. Housing at 10%, in 2018 went slightly up at 19%. Fuel and power was less une in both years only 6%. in past people spent also there income on clothing and footware 10%, in 2018 low use of it only 5%.

Household goods was slightly same in both years 8%. in 1968 few spent their income on transport 8%, but in 2018 went high on 14%. Last very less was spent on leisure 9 % but in 2018 spent more

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify the chart’s subject and report several relevant comparisons, including food falling from 35% to 17%, housing rising from 10% to 19%, and transport increasing from 8% to 14%. However, the overview is unclear and partly inaccurate: fuel and power was the smallest category in 2018, but leisure was the smallest in 1968, not fuel and power. The response also omits the important rise in leisure to 22%, and the final comparison is left unfinished. Household goods is correctly described as unchanged. The response contains 143 words, below the required 150; this limits how fully you can summarise and compare the main features. Include a complete overview and report the major increases and decreases accurately.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

There is a basic attempt to organise the response: an introduction, an overview, and a paragraph of figures. The comparisons are generally presented in a recognisable order, and words such as “Overall,” “but,” and “in 2018” help signal relationships. However, progression is weakened by unclear or incomplete sentences, especially “others some was stay constant” and the unfinished final point, “but in 2018 spent more.” Several comparisons are crowded together, and the repeated use of “in 2018” and “spent” makes the writing feel list-like. Use clear paragraphing and group the categories by trend—for example, categories that rose, fell, or stayed the same—then connect each comparison with accurate linking phrases.

Lexical Resource: Band 4.5

You use relevant chart vocabulary such as “weekly income,” “spent,” “went up,” and “went down,” so the reader can identify the general topic and some trends. However, the range is limited and several choices are inaccurate or awkward, including “highest amount spent on food that was highest,” “low use of it,” and “few spent their income on transport.” There are also spelling errors in “eights,” “imcome,” “une,” and “footware,” which reduce clarity and control. Aim for precise reporting verbs and category language, such as “accounted for,” “rose,” “declined,” and “remained unchanged.” Check spelling carefully, and avoid using “spent” repeatedly when describing percentages.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

The response mainly uses short, simple statements and attempts a few longer comparisons, but these longer structures are often faulty. For example, “Overall, the highest amount spent on food that was highest” lacks a clear grammatical structure, while “Housing at 10%, in 2018 went slightly up at 19%” is not a complete, well-formed comparison. Verb forms and sentence boundaries are also inconsistent, as in “others some was stay constant” and “but in 2018 spent more.” These errors sometimes make the intended meaning difficult to follow. Practise complete sentences with a clear subject and verb, and use consistent past-tense forms to describe both years, such as “Housing rose from 10% in 1968 to 19% in 2018.”

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.