Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-10-07

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 compares the number of American houses by thier annual income in 2007 ,2011 and 2015.

overall, the data shows that the numbers of famillies were highest and of the peaks in different incomes were in 2015 .And the less were between 2011 and 2007.

In all amounts of incomes the highest numbers of famillies were in 2015 by recording , also the peak where almost 35 million american familly gained [redacted phone] and over per year, surpassing in 2007 .The amount of famillies and thier annual incomes were pretty simillar to in 2007 but less.

However, in 2011 the annual incomes of most of famillies were the lowest where more than 27 million american household gained less than 25000.However in the category middel income 2011 had a higher number of familles than 2007 .So only in the highest annual income [redacted phone] and over where 2007 surpased 2011 in the number of famillies.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify the chart’s subject and mention several relevant comparisons, including the high-income group’s rise to almost 35 million in 2015 and the relatively high low-income figures in 2011. However, the overview is unclear and sometimes inaccurate: “the numbers of families were highest … in 2015” overgeneralises, since the $50,000–$74,999 group stayed at about 21 million throughout, and the $75,000–$99,999 group was slightly higher in 2015 than in the earlier years. Some comparisons are also confusing, such as saying 2011 had the lowest incomes while reporting more than 27 million in the under-$25,000 category. Select the main trends accurately, then support them with clear comparisons across categories and years.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has a basic structure, beginning with an introduction, followed by an overview and further comparisons. However, the progression is difficult to follow because the overview does not clearly summarise the chart, and the later details move between years and income groups without a consistent order. For example, the final paragraph shifts from the under-$25,000 group to middle incomes and then to the highest-income group. Linking words such as “However” are repeated and do not always show a clear contrast. Organise the body by grouping related income bands or by comparing the years systematically, and use referencing and connectors only where they clarify the relationship between points.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant chart vocabulary, including “category,” “annual income,” “surpassing,” and “recording,” so the reader can recognise the topic and intended comparisons. However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate, which sometimes makes the meaning hard to interpret. “American houses” should be “US households,” while “the peaks in different incomes” and “the less” do not express the intended trends clearly. There are also repeated spelling errors, including “thier,” “famillies,” and “simillar,” and inconsistent forms such as “familly.” Use precise terms for quantities and trends, and check spelling and collocations carefully.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and longer sentence forms, including a contrast introduced by “However” and a clause beginning “where almost 35 million…”. However, complex constructions are often faulty, and frequent errors can make relationships between ideas difficult to understand. For instance, “the numbers of families were highest and of the peaks…” lacks a clear grammatical structure, while “the amount of families … were” has a mismatch between the singular subject and plural verb. Sentence boundaries and punctuation are also inconsistent, as in “2011.However,” and the opening overview begins with a lowercase “overall.” Build clearer sentences around one comparison at a time, check subject–verb agreement and articles, and use punctuation to separate complete ideas.

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