Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-10-09

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 graph illustrates the number of residential areas situated in US based on thier annual expenditure from years 2007, 2011 and 2015

Overall, most number of households spending occurred in 2015, following lowerd in 2011 and least in 2007.

In, 2007 29 million households have income one million dollar annual income, while 27 million have in between $25000 to $50000 and in the same way 25 million households have lower than $25000. Additionally, 21 million households have $50000 to $75000 income, although 14 million households have $75000 to $[redacted phone] annual income.

In contrast in 2011 27 million houses have 1 million dollar annual income which drops to 2 percent from 2007 and then surge to 6 percent in 2015, similarly 30 million households have annual income of 25000 to 50000 dollars, which in comparison with 2007 have grows by 3 persent and then declined by 2 percent and reached to 28 million households in 2015. In 2011, 13 million households have reached 75000 to [redacted phone] dollar annual income, which declined from 2007 and then surged to reach 15 million households in 2015.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify the chart’s subject and include several relevant income groups, with some comparisons across the three years. However, the overview is unclear and inaccurate: the largest category was not generally in 2015, since households earning $100,000 or more were highest in 2007 and 2015, while the $25,000–$49,999 group was highest in 2011. Several figures and changes are also misreported. For example, the top-income group is described as earning “one million dollar,” and the 2015 rise is expressed as 6 percent rather than an increase from about 27.5 to 33.5 million. The $50,000–$74,999 group, which remained stable at about 21 million, is not discussed across the years. Select the main trends accurately and give a clear overview.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a basic paragraph structure: an introduction, an overview, and two paragraphs with details. Time markers such as “In 2007” and “In 2011” help readers follow the chronology, and “In contrast” signals a comparison. However, progression is not consistently clear because the final paragraph combines several categories and years in long sentences, while the $50,000–$74,999 group is omitted from the later-year account. Some linking phrases, including “in the same way” and “similarly,” do not clearly show the relationship between the figures. Organise the details by either year or income group, and use shorter sentences with precise links so each comparison is easy to track.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some task-relevant vocabulary, including “households,” “annual income,” “declined,” and “surged,” and the income ranges are generally recognisable. However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations make the meaning imprecise. “Residential areas” refers to places rather than households, and “annual expenditure” describes spending rather than income. “Most number of households spending occurred” is also an awkward way to describe the chart’s figures. There are noticeable spelling errors, such as “thier,” “lowerd,” and “persent,” alongside inconsistent expression of amounts and percentages. Use accurate chart language consistently, and check spelling and collocations before finishing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more extended sentences, including comparisons linked with “while,” “although,” and “which.” However, complex sentences are often faulty, and errors in verb forms, agreement, articles, and sentence construction sometimes make the data difficult to interpret. For example, “27 million households have 1 million dollar annual income” lacks a clear grammatical structure, while “which in comparison with 2007 have grows” contains an incorrect verb form and agreement. The opening also needs an article and a more accurate grammatical pattern: “situated in US based on thier annual expenditure.” Practise forming complete sentences with a clear subject and verb, and use past-tense forms consistently when reporting the historical data.

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