Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-10-01

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 provided bar chart compares the number of households in the US by their annual income in 2007, 2011 and 2015. The given bar chart indicates to avevarage income of households.

To begin with, households who earn less than $25000 were 25 million. in 2007. Households whose Income between $25000 to $49999 were almost 27 million. Number of households whose income was between $50000 to $74999 were 20 million respectively Households income between $75000 to $99999 were least in the year 2007. While households with $[redacted phone] or more topped in 2007. Number of households whose income was less than $25000 increased by almost 3 million in year 2011.

Moreover, the households whose income was less than $25000 decreased in the year 2015. While households with income between $50000 to $74999 remains unchanged for year 2007 and 2011. The households with income between $[redacted phone] or more skyrocketed in year 2011.

To conclude, there are significant gap in income group between $[redacted phone] or morethrouGh year 2007 and 2011. While households whose annual income was between $ 50000- $74999 was unchanged.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

The response addresses the task only partially and contains inaccuracies in reporting the data. For instance, the writer states that households earning between $50,000 to $74,999 were '20 million respectively', which is incorrect and misused grammatically. Furthermore, the overview statement contains a misinterpretation, claiming the chart indicates 'avevarage income of households' rather than summarizing the number of households by income brackets over three specific years. While some main features are mentioned, such as the general figures for 2007 and changes in 2011, the ideas are limited, under-developed, and lack a clear, comprehensive overview of the trends across the entire period. To reach a higher level, the writer needs to provide an accurate overview of the main trends without misinterpreting the data and ensure all key data points are reported correctly.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

There is some basic organization with paragraph breaks and chronological signposts such as 'To begin with', 'Moreover', and 'To conclude', but there is no clear overall progression of ideas. Cohesive devices are handled inconsistently and some sentences are awkwardly linked. For example, 'Number of households whose income was between $50000 to $74999 were 20 million respectively Households income between $75000 to $99999 were least in the year 2007' lacks appropriate conjunctions or transitional phrases to connect the statements logically. Paragraphing is attempted, but the grouping of ideas lacks internal cohesion, making the flow somewhat mechanical and repetitive. To improve, the writer should ensure smoother transitions between sentences and establish a logical narrative thread that guides the reader clearly through the data comparisons.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is limited and minimally adequate for the task, with noticeable errors in word choice, spelling, and word formation. Words like 'avevarage' and 'throuGh' contain spelling errors, while phrases such as 'topped in 2007' and 'skyrocketed in year 2011' show an attempt to use less common vocabulary, though collocational control is weak. The repetition of basic phrasing like 'households whose income was' restricts the lexical range. To achieve a higher band, the writer must expand their vocabulary range, reduce spelling and word-choice errors, and use precise reporting verbs and synonyms (e.g., 'rose significantly' instead of 'skyrocketed' used incorrectly or informally) to convey data more naturally.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response displays a very limited range of sentence structures, relying primarily on simple statements and repetitive subject-verb-object patterns. Attempts at complex sentences are frequently faulty or incomplete, such as 'Households income between $75000 to $99999 were least in the year 2007', which lacks a preposition and correct verb agreement. There are frequent grammatical errors, including missing articles, incorrect prepositions ('in year 2011' instead of 'in 2011'), and subject-verb agreement issues (e.g., 'households with income between $50000 to $74999 remains unchanged', where 'remains' should be past tense 'remained'). These persistent errors occasionally cause difficulty for the reader. To improve, the writer needs to incorporate a wider variety of accurate complex structures and pay closer attention to verb tenses and agreement.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

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