Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

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

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 chart displays the amount of households in the United State in 2007, 2011 and 2015 by their annual income.

In 2007 25 million households who earn $25000 per year in the US and it increase in 2011 about 29 million. However, it slightly drop to 28 million in 2015. Those who earn above 25 thousand dollar to bellow 50 thousand dollar the number of households were around 26 million in 2007 and 2011 it increase to 30 million which was largest number in 2011 but in 2015 it slightly down. However, who earn above half million the number of households were near 30 million in 2007 and 33 million in 2015 which was highest number but in 2011 it fell to around 28 million.

The number of households who earn 50 thousand dollar to less than 75 thousand dollar were still same which was 21 million from 2007 to 2015. The number of households 75 thousand dollar to bellow half million dollar were also almost remaining same but in 2011 it slightly drop 14 million to 13 million but at the end it is in 15 million.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

The response identifies several relevant categories and reports some broadly accurate patterns, including the stable figure of 21 million for the $50,000–$74,999 group and the rise in the $100,000-or-more group by 2015. However, the task is addressed only partially: there is no clear overview of the main features, and some key comparisons are missing or unclear. The first category is described as households earning exactly $25,000, rather than less than $25,000. The highest-income category is also called “above half million,” which misrepresents the chart’s $100,000 threshold. The account of the $75,000–$99,999 group gives an incorrect 2011 fall from 14 to 13 million; the chart shows about 14 million. Select the main trends accurately and summarise them in an overview.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has some organisation: it begins with an introduction, discusses several income groups, and uses basic links such as “However” and “but.” This gives the reader a general sense of the chart’s categories. However, the information does not progress clearly from an overview to grouped comparisons, and the two paragraphs do not establish a strong structure. Transitions are sometimes awkward or repetitive, while references such as “Those who earn” and “who earn above half million” make it harder to follow which category is being discussed. Group the categories into clear paragraphs and use precise labels or references each time you move between them.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The response uses enough basic vocabulary to communicate the general subject, including “increase,” “drop,” “remaining same,” and “highest number.” However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate, sometimes making the data difficult to interpret. For example, “amount of households” is not a natural way to describe a count, and “above half million” gives the wrong income threshold. Phrases such as “slightly down” and “at the end” are also imprecise for describing chart trends. Use standard chart language and reproduce the income bands accurately; this will make comparisons clearer and more formal.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The writer attempts some longer sentences and uses past-tense reporting, but the range of sentence structures is limited and errors occur frequently. Examples include “In 2007 25 million households who earn…” and “it increase in 2011,” where the sentence structure and verb form are faulty. Agreement and tense are also inconsistent in “the number of households were” and “it slightly drop.” Articles, plurals, and punctuation are often missing or inaccurate, as in “in 2007” without a comma and “25 thousand dollar.” These errors sometimes make relationships between figures unclear. Practise complete subject–verb structures and consistent past-tense forms when describing the years shown.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.