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 charts below illustates the number of households in the United States of America by their annual income in the years 2007, 2011 and 2015.

Overall, in 2007 there were 29 millions people of annual income greater than one lakh following the households containing lowest income. There were 30 millions people in 2011 have an income range between less than half lakh dollars. In 2015, the highest trend have shown with the households containing annual income of one lakh dollars.

Admittedly, nearly 30 millions people out of 100 millions contained annual income of one lakh dollar, while 26 millions persons have an income of twenty five thousand dollar to forty nine thousand dollar while, less than 15 millions persons out of 100 millions have income of seventy five thousand dollar to ninty nine thousand dollar.

To conclude, in 2011 there were thirty millionsd households with income range of tenty five thousand dollars to forty nine thouand dollars. Income range between 50,000$-74,000$ remained almost same in three years while, income range 75,000$-99,999$ have shown slight change but remained same.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response4.5
Coherence and Cohesion4.5
Lexical Resource5.0
Grammatical Range and Accuracy5.0
Overall5.0

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

The response identifies the chart’s subject and makes some relevant comparisons, including the high-income group’s rise by 2015 and the broadly stable $50,000–$74,999 category. However, the overview is unclear and includes inaccurate or confusing claims: “following the households containing lowest income” does not establish a clear ranking, and the 2011 figure of “30 millions” is attached vaguely to an income range. Several details are also misreported or unsupported, such as saying the $75,000–$99,999 group “remained same” when it changes slightly, and describing household counts as “people.” To improve, give a concise overview of the main trends, then report accurate figures for each income band and compare the years directly.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5

There is an attempt to organise the response into an introduction, an overview, a detail paragraph and a conclusion. This gives the reader some broad signposting, and phrases such as “Overall” and “To conclude” indicate the intended structure. However, the progression is difficult to follow because the overview and later paragraphs repeat or contradict information, while comparisons are not grouped consistently by income category. For example, the discussion moves from the highest income group to the lowest and then to middle bands without a clear sequence. Some linking words, including “Admittedly” and “while,” do not show the relationships accurately. Organise the body by income bands or by year, and use clear comparisons to connect each point.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The response uses some relevant chart vocabulary, including “annual income,” “income range,” “remained,” and “slight change,” so the topic is generally recognisable. However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations make the meaning imprecise. “Millions people” and “persons” are inappropriate for a chart counting households, while “highest trend have shown” does not naturally describe a figure. There are also noticeable spelling errors, such as “illustates,” “ninty,” “tenty,” and “thouand,” which reduce clarity. Aim for precise, repeated chart language rather than awkward variation: use “households,” “number,” “rose,” “fell,” and “remained stable” accurately, and check spelling and income-band labels.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response attempts both simple and more extended sentences, but control is uneven, and errors sometimes make relationships between ideas difficult to understand. Examples include “there were 29 millions people,” “there were 30 millions people in 2011 have an income,” and “the highest trend have shown,” where plural forms, verb construction and agreement are faulty. Some clauses are joined awkwardly, as in “while, less than 15 millions persons,” and punctuation around “while” is inconsistent. The sentence patterns are also repetitive, with limited accurate use of complex structures. Build clear subject–verb sentences, for example, “The number of households earning $100,000 or more rose to about 33.5 million in 2015,” and check tense, agreement, articles and punctuation.

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