Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-09-17

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 bar chart illustrate the number of households in the United States across different annual incomes measured in dollars for the year 2007, 2011 and 2015.

Overall, it is clearly shown that two categories of houses remained same throughout the years, while it fluctuated for remaining type of houses.

In the year 2007 and 2015, the number of houses was highest at 30% and about 33% for people with income 1 lac or more than it. The household with a moderate income from $25,000-$49,000 was greatest in 2001.

The number of houses remained exactly same through out the period with earnings from $50,000-%74,999 and $75,000-$99,999. The yearly salary from $25,000-$49,999 was the 2nd highest in 2007 at about 26%, and rose to 30% in 2011 before declining to about 28% in 2015. The ratio of houses was 25 with income less than $25,000, gradually increased to about 29 houses before reaching about 27 houses

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The student attempts to address the main features of the chart, mentioning several income categories and years. However, the task achievement is significantly weakened by inaccurate data reporting and confusion over units. For example, the student states that the highest income group reached '30% and about 33%', interpreting millions as percentages. Furthermore, the claim that the number of houses remained 'exactly same' for two income brackets is incorrect according to the chart, where $75,000-$99,999 clearly fluctuates. The overview also contains inaccuracies. While all main parts are touched upon, the lack of factual precision and distorted data interpretation pull the score down to this level.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The response has an identifiable structure with an introduction, an overview sentence, and supporting body paragraphs. However, logical progression is frequently disrupted by confusing statements and abrupt shifts between ideas. Paragraphing is attempted, but paragraph boundaries are somewhat disjointed. Cohesive devices are used sparingly and at times inaccurately, such as the vague transition 'while it fluctuated for remaining type of houses.' Pronoun referencing and overall flow need substantial improvement to ensure the reader can follow the comparisons smoothly without confusion.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The student uses an adequate vocabulary to discuss households and income, but there are notable lexical inaccuracies and awkward phrasing, such as '1 lac or more than it' and referring to households repeatedly as 'houses'. The misuse of percentages instead of millions also reflects poorly on lexical and data-handling precision. Less common lexical items are attempted but not always handled correctly in terms of collocation or register. Spelling is generally acceptable, but the overall lexical range remains limited and repetitive.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The response displays a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, such as 'The bar chart illustrate...'. However, there are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text, including subject-verb agreement issues ('The bar chart illustrate'), missing pluralisations, and awkward prepositions. Additionally, incomplete comparative structures and dangling figures (e.g., 'The ratio of houses was 25 with income...') lead to confusion and impede understanding. Punctuation is basic, and complex structures are frequently faulty.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

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