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 given bar graph compares the proportion of households in the US by their annual income during the financial years 2007, 2011 and 2015.The x-axis reprents the year and the y-axis demonstrates the number of households in millions.
To begin with, in the year 2007, the number of households with the highest quantity of almost 30 million had a 100,000 or more of total income. Furthermore, 25 million households had an income less than 25,000 million which is the lowest in terms of quantity of homes this year. In contrast, the year 2011 showed greater number of households with lesss than 25,000 net income. In the same year, the least number of households had an annual income of over 14 million. Finally, in the year 2015, the highest amount of households of almost 33 million had an income of over 100,000 dollars.This was actually the highest proportion of household during any year. The absolute bottom this year in terms of number of households were the ones with total income of 75,000 to 99,999 dollars.
In conclusion, from all the perspectives, it is clear that the year 2015 had the highest income with the topmost number of households whereas in the year 2011, the number of households were the least in the entire trend with the net income of 75000 to 99,999.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The student attempts to address the prompt by reporting figures from the bar chart across the three specified years, but the response contains several inaccuracies and a misunderstanding of data scaling. For instance, the student states that households with an income of less than $25,000 in 2007 amounted to '25,000 million', which is an impossible numerical reading. Furthermore, the overview attempted in the conclusion is confused and inaccurate, claiming that 2015 'had the highest income with the topmost number of households', which misinterprets the distribution of income brackets. While the main features are touched upon, the lack of precision in reading the data and the absence of a clear, coherent overview keep this performance at a Band 5.0 level.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The text is divided into paragraphs with an introductory paragraph, body paragraphs, and a concluding section, showing a basic attempt at organisation. However, the logical progression is hindered by confusing statements and awkward transitions, such as 'To begin with' and 'Finally'. Cohesive devices are sometimes used mechanically or inaccurately, and referencing between sentences can be unclear, such as the abrupt shifts between income brackets without establishing clear comparative links. Paragraphing is present, but the internal cohesion of the body paragraphs lacks smooth flow. This corresponds to a Band 5.5 performance.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The student demonstrates an adequate vocabulary range to communicate basic information about the chart, using terms like 'proportion of households', 'annual income', and 'x-axis'. However, there are notable lexical errors and inappropriate word choices, such as 'reprents' (misspelling of represents), 'quantity of almost 30 million had a 100,000 or more of total income', and 'lesss than 25,000 net income'. The student also struggles with numerical scaling vocabulary, stating 'less than 25,000 million'. These errors occasionally cause strain for the reader. The lexical range is limited and frequently repetitive, placing it firmly at a Band 5.0.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The response includes a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, such as 'The given bar graph compares the proportion of households...' and 'In contrast, the year 2011 showed greater number of households...'. However, grammatical accuracy is weak, with frequent errors including missing articles ('showed greater number'), spelling mistakes ('reprents', 'lesss'), and awkward phrasing ('the absolute bottom this year in terms of number of households'). While the meaning can generally be deciphered, the high frequency of grammatical and mechanical slips means the majority of sentences are not error-free. This performance satisfies the criteria for Band 5.0.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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