Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-07-26

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 illustrates the number of households in the United States in terms of their annual income in the following three years: 2007, 2011, and 2015.

Overall, it can be seen that the people who earned more than 100,000 dollars hold most of the property in all three years, while the inverse is true for the people earning between 75,000 dollars and 99,999 dollars.

However, in 2007, people earning less than 25,000 dollars owned 25 million properties, which then rose to almost 28 million in 2007 and decreased slightly in 2015, concluding at almost 26.5 million. The exact pattern is seen by the people who earned between 25,000 dollars and 49,999 dollars, who own approximately 26 million houses, which increases gradually, reaching the mark of almost 29 million, and decreases slightly by approximately 2 million.

The people who earned between 50,000 dollars and 74,999 dollars fluctuated throughout the period between approximately 20 million and 22 million; this same pattern was seen by the people who earned between 75,000 dollars and 99,999 dollars, which remained between almost 13 million and 15 million. Nevertheless, the people who earn more are always going to spend more, looking at the richest group, people earning more than 100,000 dollars. These people held almost 29 million of the houses in the US in 2007, which decreased slightly by almost 4 million and then increased drastically, reaching the all-time high, concluding at approximately 34 million.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The response covers all parts of the task and provides a clear overview. You have successfully identified the main trends and made relevant comparisons between the income groups. However, there are some inaccuracies in the data reporting. For instance, you mention that the group earning less than 25,000 dollars rose to 28 million in 2007, but the chart shows 2007 as the starting point. Additionally, the statement that the richest group 'held property' is slightly inaccurate as the chart refers to the number of households. Despite these minor data interpretation issues, the main features are well-highlighted.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.5

The response is logically organized with a clear introduction, overview, and body paragraphs. You use cohesive devices such as 'however', 'nevertheless', and 'in the following three years' to link ideas. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate different income categories. While the flow is generally good, some transitions between sentences feel slightly mechanical, and the referencing of the groups could be more varied to avoid repetitive phrasing like 'the people who earned'. Overall, the progression of ideas is clear and easy to follow.

Lexical Resource — Band 7.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'fluctuated', 'drastically', and 'all-time high'. There is an attempt to use less common vocabulary, though some word choices are slightly imprecise, such as using 'property' instead of 'households'. There are no significant spelling errors, and the vocabulary is sufficient to convey the intended meaning clearly. To reach a higher band, try to incorporate more precise collocations related to data trends, such as 'a marginal decrease' or 'a significant surge'.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 7.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There is generally good control over grammar, though some minor errors persist, such as 'the exact pattern is seen by the people' (passive voice usage is slightly awkward here) and 'the people who earn more are always going to spend more' (this is a subjective comment that is not supported by the data). Punctuation is generally accurate, and the errors present do not impede communication. To improve, focus on varying your sentence structure further and ensuring subject-verb agreement remains consistent throughout.

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