Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-09-25
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 5.0)
The chart illustrates the information about the income per annum in number of households in the US during specific years.
Overall, there is no drastic change observed except for the households with income over 100,000 dollar in the year 2015 where it peaked at around 33 million households. There is almost no changes seen with annual income of $50,000-$74,000 at around 22 million households.
25 million Households with annual income of $25,000 in the year 2007, which increased to approximately 28 miilion households in 2011 then dropped to around 26 million households. Same trend was seen with annual income of $25,000-
$49,999 where, there was increase in number of households from 2007 to 2011 then seen a drop in number in the year 2011.
The only decrease in number of households seen in the year 2011 was with annual income $75,000-$99,999.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0
The response attempts to summarize the main features of the chart, but it falls short of the 150-word minimum, containing only 141 words, which incurs a penalty under Task Achievement. While the overview attempts to highlight general trends such as the peak for households earning over $100,000, some of the data points cited are inaccurate compared to the visual data. For instance, the student states that households earning $50,000-$74,000 were at around 22 million and remained flat, which is close to the true figure of 21 million, but other figures contain inconsistencies. Furthermore, the description of trends in the third paragraph is confusing and lacks precision regarding the specific years and brackets. To reach higher bands, the writer must ensure all data is meticulously checked against the prompt and meet the minimum word count.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0
The response is organized into four paragraphs, including a brief introduction, an overview, and body paragraphs. However, the logical progression is hindered by confusing sentence structures and abrupt transitions. For example, the sentence starting with '25 million Households with annual income...' in the third paragraph is grammatically incomplete and lacks cohesive ties to anchor the data. Additionally, paragraphing is attempted, but the grouping of information is disjointed, making it difficult for the reader to follow the comparisons smoothly. Cohesive devices are either missing or misused, resulting in a mechanical feel rather than a natural flow of ideas throughout the response.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.0
The lexical range is quite limited and repetitive. The student frequently uses basic vocabulary such as 'chart illustrates', 'change', 'number of households', and 'annual income'. There are also lexical errors and imprecise word choices, such as writing '100,000 dollar' instead of dollars, and minor phrasing awkwardness like 'income per annum in number of households'. While some task-specific vocabulary is present, attempts to use less common or more sophisticated vocabulary are largely absent. Spelling is generally acceptable, but vocabulary control needs significant expansion and precision to achieve a higher band score.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
The response demonstrates a very limited range of grammatical structures, relying heavily on simple or poorly constructed sentences. There are several noticeable grammatical errors and missing elements that disrupt comprehension. For instance, the opening sentence 'The chart illustrates the information about the income per annum in number of households...' is awkward and unidiomatic. In the second paragraph, the fragment 'There is almost no changes seen' contains a subject-verb agreement error. The third paragraph contains a major structural flaw: '25 million Households with annual income of $25,000 in the year 2007, which increased to...' lacks a main verb. These frequent errors affect readability and constrain the grammatical score.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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