Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-10-02
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 illustrates the annual income of number of households in US in three years: 2007, 2011 and 2015. Overall, in 2007 and 2015, most of the households had annual income of 100,000$ or above than that. On the other hand, in 2011, most of the households annual income was less than $25,000.
In 2007 and 2015, trent of household income per year was same. In 2007, 29-million household recieved income of $100,000 or more annualy. In that year, 25 million families got less than $25,000 as annual salary. Number of families with annual pay of $25,000 to $49,999 was 27 million. 21 million families payed $50,000-$74,999 per year. Only 14 million recieved 475,000 to $99,999 as an annual salary.
In 2011, greatest proportion of public recieved annual income of 25,000$ to 49,999$. 28 million families got annual income of less than $25,000 and 22 million got salary of $50,000 to $74,000 in a year. Only, a small proportion of workers got 75,000 to 99,999 dollar per year. Families with $100,000+ annual salary was 28 million.
In 2015, most paid salary was $100,000 or more to 37 million households. 27 million had less than 25-thousand dollars annual salary, 28 million got annual salary of $25,000 to $49,999. While, 21 million annual pay was $75,000 to $499,999, only 15 million got the annual income of less than 25,000$.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0
The response addresses the task partially, attempting to present an overview and select main features from the bar chart. However, there are significant inaccuracies in reporting the data compared to the visual source, and some information is contradictory or confused. For instance, the overview incorrectly claims that most households earned $100,000 or more in 2007 and 2015 while stating the opposite for 2011, and the body paragraphs contain frequent data misreadings and inconsistent figures, such as stating that '15 million got the annual income of less than 25,000$' for 2015 when it was actually 28 million. The general trends and comparisons are limited and insufficiently supported by accurate data, preventing the response from achieving a higher level.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
There is some basic organization present, with an introductory paragraph, separate body paragraphs for different years, and a concluding overview attempt, but the response lacks a clear overall progression. Paragraphing is used, but the internal logical flow is hindered by mechanical referencing and inaccurate data reporting. Cohesive devices are minimal or sometimes repetitive, and transition words like 'On the other hand' and 'While' are used rather rigidly. While the text is divided into paragraphs, the lack of smooth links between sentences and the confusion over data mean that the overall structure remains basic and lacks clear logical sequencing.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.0
The lexical range used is limited and barely adequate for the task. The writer attempts some less common vocabulary related to data analysis, such as 'proportion', 'annual income', and 'households', but these are accompanied by noticeable errors in word choice, collocation, and form. Examples include phrases like 'most paid salary' and 'families payed $50,000-$74,999' (where 'payed' is a spelling/word-choice slip). There are also instances of awkward phrasing like 'greatest proportion of public received annual income'. These inaccuracies and limited repertoire cause some difficulty for the reader and prevent the vocabulary from reaching a more flexible and precise standard.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
The student demonstrates a very limited range of sentence structures, relying heavily on simple sentences and basic subject-verb patterns. Attempts at more complex structures or longer clauses are frequently faulty, leading to missing articles, incorrect prepositions, and structural awkwardness—for instance, 'annual income of number of households in US' and 'Families with $100,000+ annual salary was 28 million' (subject-verb agreement error). Frequent grammatical errors are present throughout the text, including punctuation errors and incorrect numeral/symbol placements like '475,000' and '100,000$'. These persistent errors frequently cause strain and difficulty for the reader.
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