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 illustration gives information about the number of households in US by their annual income in three different years. Overall, people from $75000 to $[redacted phone] was less households than the others.
It is quite evident from the graph that in 2007, there was 25 million people had their own houses, which had less then $25000 salary. In this salary range, the number of households increased about 3 million in 2011, and almost same household in 2015 in same salary range.
Furthermore, the people had income range from $75000 to $99999, the number of households almost same in US. The people with $[redacted phone] or more than this had approximately 29 million households, but after 4 years, the number of households in this salary range was decreased about 3 million. In 2015, 34 million people had their own houses, which had salary range greater than $[redacted phone]. In this income, 33 million Americans had their own houses.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 4.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5
The response addresses the task only partially, presenting a limited overview and some confusion regarding data interpretation. The opening attempt at an overview is restricted to a single, slightly awkward detail rather than summarizing the main trends across all income brackets. Throughout the body paragraphs, the student misinterprets figures and confuses households with individual people, stating that specific numbers of 'people had their own houses' rather than reporting household counts. While some figures from the visual data are correctly identified—such as the 25 million in the lowest income bracket for 2007—other descriptions lack clarity, and the final sentences contain contradictory information regarding the 2015 figures for the highest income group. To reach a higher level, the response needs to present a clearer, more comprehensive overview of overall trends, report data accurately without misinterpreting households as homeowners, and avoid contradictory statements in the details.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0
The response shows some basic organization with an introductory sentence and subsequent body paragraphs, but there is no clear overall progression of ideas. Cohesive devices are minimal, repetitive, or inaccurate, with phrases such as 'Furthermore, the people had income range' lacking proper grammatical connection and logical transition. Paragraphing is attempted, but the internal structure of the paragraphs is disjointed, relying on repetitive sentence openings like 'In this salary range' and 'In this income' rather than varied referencing. The relationship between sentences is frequently unclear, which disrupts the flow of information. To improve coherence and cohesion, the writer should ensure each paragraph has a clear thematic focus, use a wider variety of accurate cohesive devices to link ideas smoothly, and establish a logical progression from the introduction through the body details.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.0
The vocabulary used is limited and repetitive, which restricts the quality of the response. Throughout the text, the writer repeatedly relies on basic terms such as 'people', 'salary range', 'households', and 'houses', often misapplying them by confusing income levels with homeownership ('people had their own houses'). There are noticeable lexical inaccuracies and awkward word choices, such as 'had less then $25000 salary' and 'the number of households in this salary range was decreased about 3 million', where prepositions and verb forms related to vocabulary are imprecise. Although the intended meaning is sometimes recoverable, these errors cause difficulty for the reader. To achieve a higher score, the writer needs to expand their lexical range by utilizing precise terminology for data reporting, such as verbs of change and accurate nouns related to economic brackets, while avoiding repetitive phrasing.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
The response demonstrates a very limited range of grammatical structures, relying heavily on basic, repetitive sentence patterns. Attempts at more complex sentences are frequently faulty, leading to frequent errors in grammar and punctuation that can cause difficulty for the reader. There are persistent errors in subject-verb agreement and clause construction, such as 'people from $75000 to $100000 was less households than the others', where the subject and verb do not agree, and missing relative pronouns or incorrect prepositions in clauses like 'the people had income range'. Additionally, passive and active voice confusion is evident in phrases like 'the number of households in this salary range was decreased'. To improve in this area, the writer must practice constructing error-free complex sentences, ensure correct subject-verb agreement, and exercise greater control over verb tenses and prepositions.
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.