Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-09-29
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 illustrates the number of households in the US by their annual income in three different periods in 2007,2011 and 2015.
Overall, the number of households earning $100,000 or more are increased with time while $75,000-$99.999 remain constant through out the period.
In 2007,there was about 25 millions people have less than $25,000 annual income in 2007 while increase in 2011 below 30 million but they decline in 2015 above 25.The number of households earning between $25,000 to $49,999 in 2007 is above 25 million increased in 2011 nearly to 30 million before slightly decreased below 30.
Household earning between $50,000-$74,999 are above 20 million and reamin constant from 2007 to 2015.Therefore $75,000 to $99,999 are nearly 15 million in 2007 slightly decreased in 2001 while grow in 2015 which is 15 million.On the other side $100,000 or more show highest earning in through the period which is about nearly 30 million in 2007 but declined in 2011 areabove 25 million and dramatic rise in 2015 which is above 30 million in 2015.
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 covers all the key categories shown in the chart and attempts to provide an overview. However, the overview is grammatically flawed and inaccurate regarding the trends (e.g., households earning $75,000–$99,999 did not remain constant, and the highest earning category fluctuated rather than simply increasing). Furthermore, many of the specific data points reported contain noticeable inaccuracies or vague approximations, such as claiming there were '25 millions people' (instead of households) and stating that the highest income group was 'about nearly 30 million in 2007' when the chart indicates 29.5 million. While the main features are touched upon, the lack of precision and some unsupported statements pull the score down to Band 5.0.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0
The response is divided into paragraphs, starting with an introduction and an overview, followed by body paragraphs. However, logical progression is hindered by frequent structural issues and awkward transitions, such as starting a sentence with 'Therefore' or 'On the other side' where they do not logically fit. Cohesive devices are used mechanically and sometimes inaccurately. Referencing is also weak, as seen in pronoun ambiguity and abrupt shifts between categories. Paragraphing is attempted, but internal cohesion lacks clarity, resulting in a Band 5.0 performance for this criterion.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.0
The student demonstrates a limited range of vocabulary suitable for describing statistical data. Basic verbs of change like 'increase', 'decrease', and 'grow' are used, but often accompanied by grammatical errors or imprecise modifiers (e.g., 'dramatic rise', which overstates a change from 27.5 to 33.5 million). There are also fundamental word choice errors, such as referring to households as 'people' ('25 millions people have less than $25,000'). Repetition of basic structures and vocabulary restricts the lexical score to Band 5.0, as the language used is minimally adequate for the task.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
The response exhibits a very limited range of grammatical structures, consisting mostly of simple or poorly constructed complex sentences. There are frequent, noticeable grammatical and punctuation errors throughout the text, such as subject-verb agreement issues ('the number of households... are increased'), tense confusion ('remain constant through out', 'is above 25 million increased'), and missing articles or punctuation. For example, 'Household earning between $50,000-$74,999 are above 20 million and reamin constant' contains spelling and agreement errors. These persistent errors frequently cause difficulty for the reader, placing the response firmly at Band 5.0.
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