Band 7.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-08-25

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 7.5)

The bar chart illustrates the number of households in the US, measured in millions, across five different annual income groups in 2007, 2011 and 2015.

Overall, it is clear that the number of households earning $100,000 or more increased considerably over the period and reached its highest level in 2015. By contrast, the $75,000–$99,999 group consistently had the fewest households, while the other income categories experienced relatively minor changes.

Looking first at the lower and middle-income groups, the number of households earning less than $25,000 rose from approximately 25 million in 2007 to 29 million in 2011, before falling slightly to 28 million in 2015. Similarly, the $25,000–$49,999 category increased from around 27 million to 30 million, although it declined marginally to 29 million by 2015. Meanwhile, the figure for households earning $50,000–$74,999 remained almost unchanged at about 21 million throughout the period.

Turning to the higher-income groups, the number of households earning $75,000–$99,999 remained the lowest, at roughly 14 million in 2007 and 2011, before increasing slightly to 15 million in 2015. In contrast, households earning $100,000 or more showed a clear upward trend, rising from approximately 29 million in 2007 to 33 million in 2015, despite a small decline to 28 million in 2011.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.5

The response effectively addresses all parts of the task. You have provided a clear overview of the main trends and supported these with relevant data points from the chart. The selection of features is logical, contrasting the growth in the highest income bracket with the relative stability of the lower and middle categories. The data is accurately reported, and the comparison between years is well-handled. To reach a higher band, ensure that the overview highlights the most significant overall trend even more explicitly, perhaps by noting the shift in the distribution of households toward higher income brackets over the eight-year period.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.5

The essay is logically organized with a clear progression of ideas. Each paragraph has a distinct focus, moving from the introduction and overview to the lower/middle-income groups and finally the higher-income groups. Cohesive devices such as 'By contrast,' 'Looking first at,' 'Similarly,' and 'Turning to' are used effectively to guide the reader through the data. The paragraphing is appropriate, and the information flows smoothly. The use of referencing is precise, ensuring that the reader can easily follow the comparisons made between the different income categories and the years provided.

Lexical Resource — Band 7.0

You have demonstrated a good range of vocabulary appropriate for an academic report. Phrases such as 'illustrates the number of households,' 'consistently had the fewest,' 'remained almost unchanged,' and 'clear upward trend' show a strong command of language. The vocabulary is precise and used accurately to describe the trends in the data. There are no significant errors in word choice or collocation. To achieve a higher score, you could incorporate a few more sophisticated synonyms for 'increased' or 'decreased' to add further variety to your descriptions of the data trends.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 7.5

The response displays a wide range of grammatical structures with high accuracy. You have successfully used complex sentences, such as 'the number of households earning less than $25,000 rose from approximately 25 million in 2007 to 29 million in 2011, before falling slightly to 28 million in 2015.' Punctuation is used correctly throughout, and there are no grammatical errors that impede communication. The majority of sentences are error-free, and the control over tense and subject-verb agreement is consistent. The writing is fluent and demonstrates a high level of grammatical competence.

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