Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-09-21
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 chart demonstrates the information regarding the various numbers of people residing in US households in millions of numbers, in accordance to their annual income in the year 2007, 2011 and 2015 respectively.
Starting with the ascending order, in the year 2007 the highest and lowest number of households around 29 and 14 millions were occupied by those having income of 100,000 or more and between 75 - 99,999 Dollars annually. 27 million residents was those who were earning 25 - 49,999 Dollars keeping the second majority, followed by 21 million hoseholds earning 50 - 74,999 Dollars, which keep consistent in the next following years i.e 2011 and 2015. Finally the third major residents were earning less than 25,000 Dollars annually with the residence availability upto 25 million houses.
Similarly, when we move toward the year 2011, the first major were earning between 25 - 49,999 Dollars occupying 30 million households while the second major were earning less than 25,000 Dollars, having 29 million of homes which is quite a different trend in comparison to the year 2007. Furthermore, 27 million households were taken by those who were earning 100,000 Dollars or more than that. Consequently, a limited trend in 2015 has been shifted towards those who earn more than 100,000 or this were in the highest number followed by those earning betweeb 25 - 49,999 Dollars. The least households were taken by those who were earning between the 75-99,999 Dollars. Both in 2015 and 2011, 21 million residential places was taken up by those who were earning between 50 - 74,999 Dollars while 15 million places was occupied by the people earning between 75 - 99,999 Dollars.
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 address the prompt by summarizing the main figures from the bar chart across the three specified years. However, there are notable flaws in data interpretation and selection. For instance, the opening overview describes 'various numbers of people residing in US households in millions of numbers', which is slightly confused in expression. Furthermore, the description of specific data points contains inaccuracies and confusion regarding which income bracket held the highest or lowest figures in certain years. While some comparisons are made, the lack of a clear overall trend or summary and the misreporting of several data points prevent the response from achieving a higher band. It addresses the task partially, thus fitting the Band 5.5 to 6.0 profile, leaning towards 5.0 due to factual inaccuracies in data reporting.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0
The response has an overall arrangement that attempts to follow a chronological or categorical order, starting with 2007 and moving to 2011 and 2015. However, the progression is often confused, and cohesive devices are awkwardly used or mechanical (e.g., 'Starting with the ascending order', 'Similarly, when we move toward the year 2011'). Paragraphing is attempted, but the grouping of information within paragraphs is jumbled, making it difficult to follow the logical flow of comparisons. Referencing is occasionally unclear, such as 'this were in the highest number', which disrupts the reading experience.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary used is somewhat repetitive and contains frequent inappropriate word choices and collocations. Examples include 'residing in US households in millions of numbers', 'residence availability upto 25 million houses', and 'residential places was taken up'. There are also spelling and word form errors, such as 'betweeb' and 'hoseholds'. While the student attempts less common vocabulary, the noticeable errors and awkward phrasing frequently cause difficulty for the reader, placing this response firmly in the Band 5 category for lexical resource.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The text displays a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, but attempts at complex structures frequently result in grammatical errors. Examples of awkward grammar and subject-verb agreement issues include: '27 million residents was those who were earning...', 'the first major were earning...', and 'this were in the highest number followed by...'. Punctuation is also weak in places, and errors in tense consistency and clause structure occur frequently throughout the response, occasionally impeding comprehension.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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