Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-09-18
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 represents the number of households in the US in accordance to their annual income in 2007, 2011 and 2015.
Overall, for all three years there are five different income range which starts with less than $25,000 to $100,000 or more. the number of US households are shown in millions.
Firstly, the highest number of households were recorded for them whose annual income is $100,000 or more. Furthermore, In all three years the number of households remained the lowest whose income ranged between $75,000-$99,999.
Moreover, those who had income between the $50,000 to $74,999 were having constant number of households for all three years which id 22 millions. As of them whose annual income ranging from $100,000 or more in both 2007 and 2015 were having the highest number of households in US compared to other income ranges. Only in 2011, the highest number of households were accounted for the $25,000 - $49,999 income range.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The student attempts to cover the main features of the chart, providing an overview and mentioning some income brackets, such as the highest earners ($100,000 or more) and the lowest earners ($75,000-$99,999). However, there are significant inaccuracies in reporting the data. For example, the student states that the $50,000 to $74,999 category had a constant number of households at '22 millions', whereas the chart clearly shows this figure at 21 million. Furthermore, the selection of data points is somewhat confused, with contradictory statements regarding which category was the highest in certain years. While the prompt is addressed, the factual inaccuracies and lack of precise data reporting prevent the response from achieving a higher band score.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0
The response is organized into multiple paragraphs, attempting an introductory overview followed by body paragraphs detailing specific trends. However, the logical progression is hindered by awkward transitions and confusing statements. Cohesive devices are used, but sometimes inaccurately or mechanically, such as 'Firstly', 'Furthermore', and 'Moreover'. Paragraphing is also somewhat erratic, with very short sentences forming separate paragraphs that lack internal cohesion. Referencing between sentences occasionally becomes unclear, making it difficult for the reader to follow the exact comparisons being made between the years and income brackets.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, attempting some topic-specific terms such as 'households', 'annual income', and 'income range'. However, there is a lack of precision and range, evidenced by repetitive phrasing like 'number of households' and 'annual income'. There are also lexical errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'in accordance to' instead of 'according to', and awkward phrasing like 'recorded for them whose annual income is'. These errors and the limited range of less common vocabulary restrict the score in this criterion.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The student demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, but grammatical accuracy is weak. There are frequent errors in verb tense, subject-verb agreement, and clause structure. Examples include 'there are five different income range' (plural/singular mismatch), 'were having constant number' (inappropriate continuous aspect and missing article), and 'As of them whose annual income ranging' (incomplete grammatical structure). Punctuation errors also occur, such as a missing capital letter at the start of a sentence ('the number of US households...'). While communication is not entirely impeded, these persistent errors pull the score down.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.