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 bar chart illustrates number of households in the US by their annual income in 2007, 2011 and 2015.

Overall, It describe the how many US households in millions have annual income. The 100,000 or more are the highest rate of household, while the 75,000 to 99,999 households are at lowest rate.

In 2007, 29 million households have $100,000 annual income, while in 2011 they were decreased by 28 millions, and in 2015 they were rose by 33 millions. 27 millions households had $25,000 to $49,999, while they increased by 30 millions and slightly decreased by 29 millions in 2011 and 2015 respectively.

In contrast, 25 millions of household had less than $25,000, which are rose by 29 millions in 2011 and fall by 28 millions in 2015, while the $50,000 to $74,999 were remain same over the period, and$75,000 to $99,999 flactuate and fall in 2011 and get same in 2015.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify the chart’s subject and include several relevant comparisons, such as the rise in households earning $100,000 or more by 2015 and the stability of the $50,000–$74,999 group. However, the overview is unclear and partly inaccurate: the highest category changes over time, and the lowest is not consistently the $75,000–$99,999 group. Some figures are also misreported; for example, the under-$25,000 category is about 28.5 million in 2011, not 29 million, while the $25,000–$49,999 category is about 29.5 million, not 30 million. The final category’s trend is not fully described. The response is 137 words, below the 150-word minimum; 15 words copied from the task prompt were not counted. Select the main trends accurately and develop the overview.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and two paragraphs comparing income groups. This gives the reader some organisation, and phrases such as “In contrast” signal a comparison. However, progression within the body paragraphs is difficult to follow because several categories and years are compressed into long sentences, and the final sentence gives little detail about the last two groups. Linking is also limited and sometimes awkward, as in “while the $50,000 to $74,999 were remain same over the period.” Use one clear comparison per sentence, group related income bands consistently, and make references such as “they” unambiguous. A more complete final comparison would help the information flow logically.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use relevant chart vocabulary, including “households,” “annual income,” “increased,” and “decreased,” so the topic is generally understandable. However, the range is limited and several word choices or forms are inaccurate, which makes parts of the report awkward: “highest rate of household” is not a natural way to describe the largest number, and “flactuate” is misspelled. Phrases such as “they were rose” also show difficulty selecting the correct form of trend vocabulary. Use precise expressions such as “the number of households,” “rose to,” “fell to,” and “remained stable.” Check spelling and collocations, and avoid repeating “millions” when “million households” is more natural.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response attempts both simple and longer sentences, including comparisons joined with “while,” but grammatical errors are frequent and sometimes make relationships between figures difficult to interpret. Examples include “Overall, It describe the how many,” “29 million households have,” and “they were decreased by 28 millions.” These show problems with sentence construction, tense, passive forms, and subject–verb agreement. There are also errors in number and punctuation, such as “25 millions of household” and the missing space in “and$75,000.” Use past simple consistently for the historical data—for example, “the figure rose to about 33 million”—and check that each sentence has a clear subject and correctly formed verb. More accurate control of these basic patterns is needed.

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