Band 7.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 7.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-08-22
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 7.5)
The bar chart illustrates the number of households in the US based on their annual income for three different years: 2007, 2011, and 2015.
Overall, while the numbers of middle-class and upper-middle-class individuals remained almost steady throughout the given years, the numbers of lower-class, lower-middle-class, and upper-class individuals fluctuated in various ways.
It can be observed that the number of people earning between 50 and 75 thousand dollars stayed roughly the same across all three years, with their figures slightly exceeding 20 million. Similarly, the number of individuals in the upper-middle class, earning between 75 and 100 thousand dollars, did not change significantly over time, although their figures were slightly less stable than those of the middle class.
On the other hand, the number of lower-class individuals rose from just over 25 million to just under 30 million between 2007 and 2011, then slightly decreased to around 27 million in 2015. A similar pattern was observed for the lower-middle class, with an increase between 2007 and 2011 followed by a decrease to 2015, fluctuating near 27 million households. However, the number of individuals with incomes exceeding 100 thousand dollars decreased from 2007 to 2011 but then increased to over 30 million after 2011.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 7.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 8.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 7.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 7.5 |
| Overall | 7.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.5
The response effectively covers the main features of the chart. You have successfully identified the key trends, such as the stability of the middle-income groups and the fluctuations in the lower and upper-income brackets. The overview is clear and provides a good summary of the data. To reach a higher band, ensure that all data points are described with precision; for instance, when mentioning 'fluctuating near 27 million', providing more specific figures from the chart would strengthen the analysis. Overall, the response is well-focused and addresses the prompt requirements comprehensively.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 8.0
The response is logically organized with a clear introduction, an overview paragraph, and two body paragraphs that group information effectively. The use of cohesive devices such as 'On the other hand', 'Similarly', and 'However' helps to guide the reader through the comparisons. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the stable income groups from those that showed more volatility. The progression of ideas is smooth, and the referencing is clear throughout the text. The structure is coherent and supports the overall purpose of the report.
Lexical Resource — Band 7.0
You have used a sufficient range of vocabulary to describe trends, such as 'fluctuated', 'exceeding', 'remained almost steady', and 'rose'. The language is precise enough to convey the data accurately. While the vocabulary is functional and appropriate for an academic report, incorporating a few more sophisticated collocations or varied synonyms for 'increase' and 'decrease' would elevate the response further. There are no spelling errors, and the word choice is consistently natural and fits the context of the task well.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 7.5
The response demonstrates a good command of grammatical structures. You have used a mix of simple and complex sentences effectively, such as the use of subordinate clauses in the overview and body paragraphs. The punctuation is accurate, and the sentence construction is generally error-free. The control over tense usage (past tense for the specific years) is consistent. To achieve a higher score, you could experiment with a wider variety of complex sentence structures, such as using more passive voice constructions or participle phrases to describe the data trends.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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