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 given bar graph illustrates the number of households in the USA by their annual income in 2007,2011 and 2015.

Overall,the chart gives us year wise information horizontally and number of households shown in vertically.There are four coloured bars like black one represents those which were less than 25000$ and white illustrated the numbers between 25000$ to 49999$.Silver bars give information of 50000$ to 74999$ and light grey depicts 75000$ to 99999$ and dark grey shows [redacted phone]$ or more than that.

The highest proportion among them is in 2015 having largest bar between 30M to 35M aprroximately 33.5million for those who had annual income of [redacted phone]$ or more than this and the lowest one is from that community that had yearly renevue of 75000$ to 99999$ for 14M in 2011.

Ultimately,this layout gives the information about the number of households according to the years that is beneficial for the economical studies of America.

This depicts that 2007 has the lowest household from yhe individuals that had annual income of 75000$ to 99999$ about touching the 14M in graph.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

The response addresses the task only partially. While the student attempts to summarise the main features, the selection of data is erratic and lacks a clear overview of the overall trends. For instance, the overview incorrectly describes the mechanical layout of the chart rather than summarising the primary economic trends depicted. Furthermore, some reported details are imprecise or confused, such as misinterpreting the lowest and highest figures or presenting isolated data points like '14M in 2011' without sufficient contextual comparison. To move to a higher band, the response needs to present a clear, accurate overview of the main trends across the years and select key data points to make relevant comparisons rather than listing fragmented details.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5

There is some organisation evident in the structure, but the response lacks clear overall progression. Paragraphing is disjointed, featuring very short or awkward paragraphs, such as 'Ultimately, this layout gives the information...' followed immediately by another sentence that seems disconnected from the flow. Cohesive devices are used mechanically or inadequately, and referencing is sometimes unclear, making the logical relationship between sentences difficult to follow at times. To achieve a higher band, the response must use paragraphing more purposefully, ensure a smooth and logical progression of ideas from the introduction through the body to the conclusion, and employ cohesive devices more naturally.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is limited but minimally adequate to convey basic information about the chart. The student attempts some less common vocabulary, such as 'proportion', 'approximately', and 'economical studies', but noticeable errors in word choice and spelling occur, such as 'aprroximately', 'renevue', and 'yhe'. These lexical errors and awkward collocations, like 'economical studies' instead of 'economic studies', occasionally cause some difficulty for the reader. To reach a higher band, the writer should expand their lexical range, ensure accurate word forms and spelling, and use vocabulary that is more precise and appropriate for academic reporting.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response demonstrates a very limited range of structures, with frequent reliance on basic patterns. Attempts at more complex sentences are often faulty, leading to frequent errors in grammar, punctuation, and article usage, such as missing prepositions and awkward clause structures like 'the lowest household from yhe individuals that had annual income of...'. Punctuation errors are also present, including missing spaces after commas, such as '2007,2011 and 2015'. These frequent errors can cause some difficulty and strain for the reader. To improve, the student needs to develop better control over basic sentence boundaries, reduce grammatical errors, and incorporate a wider variety of error-free complex structures.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.