Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-30

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 graph compares the percentages of weekly income spent by families on eight different categories in 1968 and 2018.

Overall, it is clear that the highest proportion of money was spent on food, while spending on food decreased over time. The lowest portion of income went on fuel and power, which increased with increasing demand.

Spending of weekly income on food was the highest proportion, at 35% in 1968 to approximately 17% in 2018. For Clothing and footwear, as well as personal goods, from 7% to 4% and from 8% to 4%, respectively in 1968 and 2018. Income went on household goods was remain same 8% in both year.

For the remaining goods, Money spent on Housing was 10% in 1968 to 18% in 2018. transportation

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

You identify the chart’s subject and report some key figures, including food falling from 35% to about 17% and household goods remaining at 8%. However, the overview is inaccurate: food was the largest category only in 1968; leisure was highest in 2018, and fuel and power fell rather than increased. Several important categories are omitted or left unfinished, especially leisure, transport, and fuel and power, so the comparison is only partial. The response also contains 127 words, below the required 150, which limits the detail available. To improve, give an accurate overview of the main changes and compare the remaining categories with clear figures.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has a basic structure, with an introduction, an overview, and paragraphs attempting to group the figures. This gives the reader some sense of organisation. However, progression is weak because the final paragraph stops after “transportation,” leaving the comparison incomplete, and the categories are not covered in a clear, systematic order. Some links between figures are also unclear, as in “For Clothing and footwear, as well as personal goods, from 7% to 4% and from 8% to 4%.” Use complete sentences and group categories by their trends—for example, decreases, increases, and little or no change. This would make the comparisons easier to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant chart vocabulary such as “percentages,” “proportion,” and “spent,” and the category names generally make the subject clear. There is some variation in how spending is described, but several expressions are awkward or imprecise, including “lowest portion of income went on” and “increased with increasing demand.” The latter also makes an unsupported claim about demand. “Transportation” is left unfinished, and “footwear” is spelled differently from the chart’s label, though the meaning remains clear. Aim for accurate, natural collocations such as “accounted for,” “the share allocated to,” and “rose/fell to.” Avoid adding explanations that the chart does not provide.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including the overview sentence beginning “Overall” and the comparison of food across the two years. However, errors are frequent and sometimes make relationships between figures difficult to understand. For example, “from 7% to 4% and from 8% to 4%, respectively in 1968 and 2018” lacks a clear main verb and does not express the time comparison correctly. “Income went on household goods was remain same” combines incompatible verb forms, while “Housing was 10% in 1968 to 18% in 2018” needs a verb such as “rose.” Use complete clauses with consistent past-tense verbs, and check sentence boundaries and punctuation.

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