Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-07-27

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 demonstrates the number of household in the US according their yearly income in three different years like 2007, 2011 and 2015.

Overall, the $100,000 or more income group contained the largest number of households in 2007 and 2015, while the $25,000–$49,999 category was the biggest in 2011. In contrast, the $75,000–$99,999 group maintain consistency throughout the years of 2007, 2011 and 2015.

Firstly, in 2007 households of earning $100,000 or more is accounted of largest share, at about $29 millions, followed by $25,000-$49,000 earning households is secured $27 millions. Around 25 millions households earned less then $25000. While the figures for the $50,000–$74,999 and $75,000–$99,999 groups were about 21 million and 15 million, respectively.

In 2011, the $25,000–$49,999 group was the largest at 30 million, while the $100,000+ category stood at 28 million. By 2015, households earning $100,000 or more rose sharply to 33 million, becoming the largest group, whereas the other income categories showed only slight changes overall.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The response covers all parts of the task by identifying the main trends and providing relevant data points for the three years. You successfully highlighted the shifts in the largest income categories. However, the overview is slightly inaccurate; for instance, you stated the $75,000–$99,999 group maintained consistency, but the data shows a clear increase from 15 million to 20 million over the period. Additionally, some data points are slightly imprecise, such as referring to '$29 millions' rather than '29 million'. To improve, ensure your overview captures the most significant trends accurately and avoid minor data misinterpretations.

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 'Firstly', 'In contrast', and 'whereas' to link ideas. However, the progression of ideas is occasionally mechanical, and some referencing is slightly awkward, such as 'the years of 2007, 2011 and 2015' which is redundant. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the years, which helps the reader follow the information. To reach a higher band, focus on using a wider variety of cohesive devices and ensuring that transitions between sentences feel more natural and less formulaic.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'accounted for', 'share', and 'rose sharply'. There are some minor errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'number of household' (should be plural 'households') and 'is accounted of' (should be 'accounted for'). The use of currency symbols with numbers (e.g., '$29 millions') is also slightly non-standard in this context. While the vocabulary is sufficient to convey the meaning, it lacks the precision and sophistication required for higher bands. Expanding your range of reporting verbs and adverbs would enhance your score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are several grammatical slips, such as subject-verb agreement issues ('households... is accounted') and incorrect preposition usage ('according their yearly income'). You also have some tense inconsistencies, such as 'group maintain' instead of 'maintained'. While these errors do not impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score. To improve, pay closer attention to pluralization, verb tenses, and consistent subject-verb agreement throughout your writing.

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