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 bar chart illustrates the amount of households in United States according to their annual salary in three different years

Overall, it is clear that households number accounted for highest amount in 2015 and the lowest value represented in 2011 with fluctuations in numbers in all three years.

In 2011, the individuals whose annual income was one lac dollars represented 24 millions approximately, followed by a drop in 2011 at about 26.5 millions and surged again in 2015 of about 34 millions and reached its maximum. In comparison the number of households with final income of 50000 to 75000 dollars remains constant at about 22 millions.

In 2007 the annual salary of less than twenty five thousand dollars represented the lowest amount of about 14 millions of households and 15 millions in 2015. Moreover, the income of about 25000 to 50000 dollars annually ,represented the fluctuations in household figures as 26 millions in 2007 and reaching its maximum in 2011 at 30 millions approximately and decreased in 2015 to 28 millions.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

The response addresses the task only partially. While the student attempts to report some figures from the chart, there are significant inaccuracies in the data retrieval and interpretation, leading to confusion between years and income brackets. For instance, the reference to 'one lac dollars' is unclear, and the specific figures cited often do not match the visual data. The overview is overly vague and contains contradictory claims regarding overall peaks and lowest values. To move up, the writer must ensure that the information selected is accurate, correctly attributed to the corresponding years and categories, and supported by a clearer and more precise overall summary of the main trends.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

There is some basic organisation with an attempt at paragraphing, but the response lacks a clear overall progression. Information is introduced somewhat randomly without a logical flow connecting the different income brackets. Cohesive devices are either missing or used inaccurately, and the referencing between sentences is frequently unclear, making it difficult for the reader to follow which year or category is being discussed. To improve, the writer needs to structure the report more methodically—perhaps by grouping categories logically—and use appropriate cohesive markers to guide the reader smoothly through comparisons and trends.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is limited and minimally adequate for the task. The student attempts some less common vocabulary such as 'fluctuations', 'surged', and 'constant', but these are often accompanied by noticeable errors in word choice, collocation, and phrasing, such as 'amount of households' instead of 'number of households' and 'final income' instead of 'annual income'. There are also non-standard terms like 'one lac dollars'. While the meaning is occasionally decipherable, these inaccuracies cause some difficulty for the reader. To reach a higher level, the writer should expand their lexical repertoire and use terms related to data reporting with greater precision and natural collocation.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The writer uses a limited range of sentence structures, and attempts at complex sentences are frequently faulty. There are persistent errors in prepositions, verb forms, and articles throughout the text, such as 'represented for highest amount' and 'remains constant' mixed with past tense data. These frequent errors can cause strain and difficulty for the reader. To achieve a higher band, the student needs to demonstrate better control over basic sentence patterns, improve agreement and tense consistency, and incorporate a wider variety of accurate grammatical structures.

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