Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-10-05

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)

This bar chart illustrates the number of households in the united states by their yearly salary in last 9 years.

Overall it can be seen that in last 9 years people with 77-99 earnings are the lowest earners and that is about 15 miion househods throughout the aers but a sight drop in 2011 maing it 2 miion ess but the highest earners in the us with 100,000 are found in more househods with about 33 miion in 2015 but came in third in 2011 with about 28 miion househods and was up again in 2007 with 29 miion.

In details, people who earn the most in a year are more are significant more in the us whie peope who come in second in are the househods earning 25,000 - 49-999 in 2007 the have up to 26 miion, in 2011 they inceased up to 30 miion househods but in reduced a tin bit b about 2 miion in the ast ear.

In contrast the house hod earning less than 25,000 had steady growth throught the years whie does eaning 25,000 and more peaed in 2011 and the peope eaning 75,000 and more reamined the owest in the past 9 aers

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

The response addresses the task only partially. While the student attempts to summarise the chart, the selection of data is erratic and difficult to follow, and key comparisons are inaccurate or confusingly expressed. For instance, the claim that people with earnings between 77 and 99 are the lowest earners is imprecise and misinterprets the categories provided in the chart ($75,000–$99,999). Additionally, the overview is weak and lacks a clear, accurate summary of the main trends. The response touches upon some figures, such as the highest earners in 2015, but these ideas remain limited and under-developed due to confused phrasing and imprecise reporting of data.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5

There is some organisation in the response, but it lacks clear overall progression. The essay is divided into paragraphs, but the logical flow is frequently disrupted by poor sequencing and confusing transitions. Cohesive devices are either inadequate, inaccurate, or repetitive, making it difficult for the reader to follow the progression of ideas. For example, expressions like 'In details' and 'In contrast' are misused or awkwardly placed, and referencing between sentences is often unclear, resulting in a disjointed structure that fails to guide the reader smoothly through the visual data.

Lexical Resource: Band 4.5

The vocabulary used is limited and barely adequate for the task. There are numerous spelling errors throughout the response, such as 'miion', 'househods', 'aers', 'maing', 'ess', 'whie', 'peope', 'inceased', 'ast', 'ear', 'throught', and 'peaed', which noticeably strain the reader. Word choice and collocation are often awkward or imprecise, demonstrating a lack of control over standard academic terms. The student attempts some less common vocabulary, but these attempts are undermined by inaccuracies and persistent spelling mistakes that impede smooth communication.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The writer uses a very limited range of sentence structures, relying heavily on simple clauses strung together with coordinating conjunctions. Attempts at more complex sentences are often faulty, featuring missing verbs, run-on sentences, and poor punctuation. There are frequent errors in grammar, including missing articles, incorrect prepositions, and faulty tense usage, such as 'in 2007 the have up to 26 miion'. These frequent errors cause considerable difficulty for the reader and prevent the text from achieving a higher level of accuracy.

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