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 following information shows that approx 30 households had the highest annual income in 2007 with $100,000 and it gradually decreased to 27 households in 2011 and increased to 37 households in 2015.

The lowest income of was 14 households in 2007 with $75,000 to $99,999 , and over the next few year it was almost steady , as in 2011 it was 13 households , in 2015 it was 15 households.

Then 21 hoseholds had $50,000 to $74,999 of annual income in the year 2007 and it was steady throught the years till 2015.

Then householde betweeen 25 and 22 were increasing together till 2011 with less difference then the other householdsm, with annual income of 25 households less theen $25,000 and 22 households with $25,000 to $49,999 annual income , which kept on increasing till 29 and 30, then decreased to and 28 and 29 households in 2011in 2015.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

You identify several relevant categories and report some broad patterns, including the stability of the $50,000–$74,999 group and the rise in households earning at least $100,000 by 2015. However, the response only partially summarises the chart: it has no clear overview of the main comparisons, and some figures are inaccurate. For example, the highest-income group reaches about 33.5 million in 2015, not 37 million; the $25,000–$49,999 group is about 27 million in 2007, not 22 million. The final comparison is also difficult to interpret, with missing figures and years run together. Select the most important trends, state them clearly in an overview, and check each figure against the chart.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response makes an attempt to group information by income category, and words such as “Then” and “over the next few years” help signal sequence. However, the organisation does not create a clear overall progression: there is no distinct overview, and the final paragraph combines two income groups and several years in a confusing way. Phrases such as “increasing together” and “which kept on increasing” have unclear references, so readers may not know which figures they describe. Paragraphing is present, but the links between ideas are often mechanical or imprecise. A clearer structure would be an introduction, a brief overview of the main trends, and two comparison paragraphs grouped by similar patterns.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant chart vocabulary, including “annual income,” “steady,” “decreased,” and “increased,” so the basic subject is understandable. However, the range is limited and several choices or spelling errors make parts difficult to follow, such as “householde,” “hoseholds,” “throught,” and “less theen.” Some expressions are also imprecise for describing data: “the lowest income of was 14 households” and “households had $50,000 to $74,999 of annual income” do not clearly express the number of households in each bracket. Use consistent terms such as “households in the income bracket” and “rose to/fell to,” and proofread spelling and phrasing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt to connect clauses and compare years, for example in “it gradually decreased to 27 households in 2011 and increased” and “over the next few years it was almost steady.” However, the range of sentence structures is limited, and frequent errors in sentence formation, agreement, articles, and punctuation sometimes make the meaning hard to follow. Examples include “The lowest income of was 14 households,” “Then 21 households had … and it was steady,” and the run-on ending “in 2011in 2015.” Several sentences also lack clear grammatical links between the figures and the income categories. Practise writing shorter, complete comparison sentences, then combine them with accurate clauses using “while” or “whereas.”

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