Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-11-05

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

The chart below shows the number of households in the US by their annual income in 2007, 2011 and 2015.

Summarize the information by selecting and reporting the main features and make comparisons where relevant.

Student answer (Band 5.0)

The bar chart illustrates the proportion of households in the united state by their annual income in 2007, 2011 and 2015.

Overall,the number of household earnings $[redacted phone] or more increased over the period.

In 2007, around 25 million household earns less than $25 000, while almost 30 million households earned more than $[redacted phone] . In these three yeas in 2007,2011 and 2015 similar amount of households earning between $50000 to $ 74999 . More than 30 million of households earn higest amount of money in 2015 . It represent $[redacted phone] or above .

In 2011 , people earn almost same 30 million household between less than $25 00 and $25000 to $49 999. In these three years least amount of households earn around $75000 to $ 99000.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify the chart’s subject and report several relevant comparisons, including the broadly stable figure for the $50,000–$74,999 group and the rise in households earning at least $100,000 by 2015. However, the overview is limited to one trend, and the account does not clearly compare the main changes across all five income bands. Some details are imprecise: the highest-income group was already about 29.5 million in 2007, fell to roughly 27.5 million in 2011, then rose to 33.5 million in 2015, so it did not simply increase throughout. The response is 120 words, below the 150-word minimum; the nine words copied from the prompt are excluded. Add a fuller overview and more accurate comparisons.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has a basic paragraph structure: an introduction, an overview, and two paragraphs of details. It also uses a few linking expressions, such as “while” and “In 2011,” to connect comparisons. However, the progression is not consistently clear. The sentence beginning “In these three yeas in 2007,2011 and 2015” is awkwardly placed and repeats the year information without clearly presenting the comparison. The final paragraph returns to the 2011 figures and then makes a general statement about the lowest category, rather than developing a clear sequence across the years or income groups. Use one paragraph for the overview and organise the details by meaningful trends, with clearer references and less repetition.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use relevant chart vocabulary, including “bar chart,” “proportion,” “increased,” and “similar amount,” and the income thresholds make the subject understandable. However, the range is limited and several word choices or forms are inaccurate or repetitive, which sometimes makes the meaning less clear. For example, “household earnings $100000 or more” is not a natural way to describe the group, and “earn higest amount of money” is imprecise. Spelling errors such as “yeas” and “higest,” along with inconsistent formatting of dollar amounts, also reduce accuracy. Aim for precise terms such as “households earning” and “income bracket,” and vary the language used to describe rises, falls, and stable figures.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple statements and longer comparisons, for example, “around 25 million household earns less than $25 000, while almost 30 million households earned more than $100 000.” However, errors are frequent, and the range of sentence structures is limited. Subject–verb agreement and tense are inconsistent in “household earns” and “households earn,” while the overview fragment “the number of household earnings $100000 or more increased” lacks a clear grammatical relationship between the subject and the income group. Articles, plurals, and punctuation are also unreliable, as in “In 2011 ,” and “30 million of households.” Practise building complete comparison sentences with consistent past tense, accurate plural forms, and clear subjects and verbs.

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.