Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-07-25

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 7.0)

The bar chart compares the number of houses in the US with their yearly revenue in the following years – 2002, 2011, and 2015.

Overall, there was considerable variation among categories. The maximum number of people had an income of more than $100,000 in 2007 and 2015. The household that comprises income between $50k and $74,999 was similar across all years.

To begin with, residents having revenue less than $25k were, on average, around 26 million in all preceding years. Secondly, revenue between $25,000 and $49,999 consists of 26 million people in 2007, 30 million in 2011, and 28 million in 2015. Consequently, 21 million households have persistent income within $50k to $74,999 throughout all three years.

Subsequently, approximately 14 million citizens across three years have income between $75k and $99,999. Most people remained in the category of revenue more than $100,000 in 2015 and 2007. In 2011, the number of people having a salary of more than $100,000 had declined to 23 million.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The response covers the main features of the chart and makes relevant comparisons. You have identified the key trends, such as the stability of the $50k–$74,999 category and the fluctuations in the highest income bracket. However, there is a factual error in your introduction: you state the years are 2002, 2011, and 2015, whereas the prompt specifies 2007, 2011, and 2015. Additionally, the analysis could be improved by grouping data more effectively to highlight the overall shift in income distribution rather than listing figures for each category sequentially. The overview is present but could be more analytical regarding the overall trends.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The response is logically organized with a clear introduction, overview, and body paragraphs. You use cohesive devices such as 'To begin with', 'Secondly', and 'Consequently' to guide the reader. However, some transitions feel slightly mechanical, and the paragraphing could be more balanced. The progression of ideas is generally clear, but the link between the overview and the body paragraphs could be smoother. Referencing is mostly accurate, though the flow between sentences occasionally feels like a list of data points rather than a cohesive narrative of the trends shown in the chart.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'considerable variation', 'persistent income', and 'declined'. There are some inaccuracies in word choice, such as referring to 'houses' instead of 'households' and 'citizens' instead of 'households'. While these do not impede communication, they show a lack of precision. To reach a higher band, try to incorporate more varied synonyms for 'number of' or 'income' and ensure that the terminology used is contextually precise for a report on economic data.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are some grammatical errors, such as 'The household that comprises income' (should be 'Households with an income') and 'revenue less than $25k were... around 26 million' (subject-verb agreement). Punctuation is generally handled well, but there are minor slips in article usage and pluralization. The majority of your sentences are clear, and the errors do not significantly hinder the reader's understanding of the data, which is the primary goal of this task.

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