Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-10-08

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 bargraph diagram illustrates the number of households in the US according to their annual income in seperate time period like, 2007, 2011 and 2015.

Overall, the number of households was changing with the change in time. As year 2015 was the time when the number accounted for the highest by annual income comparing with the lowest number.

By 2015, the numbers of US household rose for about 34million as per year which was the higehest number among other period of time. As mentioned earlier, the lowest was accounted for 25million in 2007. The increasement and decreasement in the number of US households continued their session.

In between two time period, year 2011 the number gradually increased with 30 million. The different colours of the graph represents different values of their each. The black coloured says less than 25000dollars, white coloured says 25000-49,999 dollars, the greyish says [redacted phone]9 dollars, darker grey says [redacted phone]9dollars and lastly [redacted phone]or more.

To sum up, the diagram depicts the difference in number pf US households by annual income over the period of [redacted phone].

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.0

The response identifies the chart’s subject and years, and it attempts to give an overview, but it does not adequately summarise the main features. The claim that 2015 had the highest number “by annual income” is unclear: the highest single figure is indeed about 33.5 million for households earning $100,000 or more in 2015, but this is not explained as a comparison among income groups. Likewise, “the lowest” at 25 million in 2007 is misleading, since the $75,000–$99,999 group was lower, at about 14.5 million. The response gives no clear account of how the five income bands changed. To improve, select the most notable trends and compare specific categories across the three years accurately.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

There is some basic organisation: an introduction is followed by an overview-like paragraph, further details, and a concluding sentence. However, the progression is weak because the paragraphs do not develop a clear comparison of the income groups. Phrases such as “As mentioned earlier” and “To sum up” signal connections, but the ideas they link are vague or repetitive. The paragraph listing colours and income ranges interrupts the description of the data and does not help the reader understand the trends. Group the figures by meaningful patterns—for example, the rise in the highest-income group and the relative stability of the middle-income group—and use clear references to the relevant years and categories.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The response has enough basic vocabulary to identify the chart topic and refer to change, using phrases such as “number of households,” “annual income,” and “gradually increased.” However, the range is limited and several word choices or forms are inaccurate, making parts difficult to interpret. “Increasement and decreasement” are not natural choices; use “increases and decreases” or “fluctuations.” “The number accounted for the highest” is also unclear, while “the figure peaked at” would express the intended meaning more precisely. There are spelling errors such as “seperate” and “higehest,” and “different values of their each” is not idiomatic. Aim for precise chart language and check spelling and collocations.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response uses some simple sentences and attempts longer structures, but the range is limited and errors recur in sentence construction, agreement, articles, and punctuation. For example, “As year 2015 was the time when…” lacks an article and forms an awkward clause, while “the number of US household rose” has a singular/plural mismatch. The opening sentence also has an incomplete, poorly punctuated list: “seperate time period like, 2007, 2011 and 2015.” These problems sometimes make the intended comparisons hard to follow. Practise accurate comparative sentences, such as “The figure for households earning $100,000 or more rose from about 29.5 million in 2007 to 33.5 million in 2015,” and check agreement and sentence boundaries.

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