Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-08-10
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 chart illustrates the number of households by their yearly income between 2007, 2011 and 2015 in the US.
Overall, the largest number of household accounted $100,000 or more throughout the given period. While, smallest group of houses made between $75,000- $99,999 each year.
In 2007, below 30 (million) households made $100,000 or more which decreased slightly to about 28(million) by 2011, further peaked at 2015 around 33(million) houses. Meanwhile, $75,000- $99,999 despite little fluctuation started with below 15(million) in 2007 to finishing at 15(million) in 2015. For $55,000- $74,999 remained unchanged above 22(million) in all three years.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 4.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 4.0
The response fails to meet the minimum word count requirement of 150 words, which significantly impacts the score. Because the response is only 98 words, the information is presented in a very truncated manner. While you have identified some main features, such as the highest and lowest income brackets, the analysis is underdeveloped. You have not provided enough detail or comparison to fully satisfy the requirements of an Academic Task 1 report. To improve, you must expand your description of the trends and provide more comprehensive comparisons across all categories and years to ensure the task is fully addressed.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0
The essay has a basic structure with an introduction, an overview, and a body paragraph. However, the progression of ideas is limited by the brevity of the text. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'Meanwhile' and 'While', but they are sometimes used incorrectly, such as the sentence starting with 'While, smallest group...' which lacks a subject. Paragraphing is present, but the overall flow is hindered by the lack of sufficient content to connect. To improve, ensure that each paragraph has a clear topic sentence and that you use a wider variety of linking words to connect your observations more fluidly.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary is generally functional but limited. You use basic terms like 'largest number', 'smallest group', and 'remained unchanged'. There is little attempt to use more sophisticated or precise vocabulary related to data description, such as 'fluctuated', 'accounted for', or 'proportion'. There are also some awkward phrasings, such as 'accounted $100,000 or more', which should be 'accounted for households earning $100,000 or more'. To improve, focus on learning collocations used for describing charts, such as 'a significant increase', 'a steady decline', or 'a marginal fluctuation'.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The response contains several grammatical errors that affect clarity. For example, 'the largest number of household accounted $100,000' is missing the preposition 'for' and the noun should be plural ('households'). The use of parentheses for units like '(million)' is informal and should be integrated into the sentence structure. There are also issues with sentence fragments and missing articles. While you attempt some complex structures, they are often inaccurate. To improve, focus on subject-verb agreement and the correct use of prepositions when describing numerical data.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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