Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-10-11

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 illustrates the number of households in the united state ,measured in million, across five annul income categories in 2007,2011,and 2015. Overall the household earning 100,000 or more increased considerably by 2015, making this largest income group In contrast, the figures for the other income categories experienced relatively minor changes over the period . In 2007, approximately 25 million households earned between $25,000 and @49999, while around 27 million belonged to the @50000-@74999 income group. The number of house hold earning @75000-@99999 was about 22 million. Meanwhile the lowest income category ,below @25000 accounted for roughly 15 million household ,wheres the highest income group had around 30 million . BY 2011 ,the number of house hold earning @25000-@49999 had risen to approxmitely 30 million . the remaining categories showed comparatively small changes .In

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.0

You identify the chart’s subject and give an overview that correctly notes the substantial rise in the $100,000-or-more group by 2015. However, the response reports several figures against the wrong income bands: for example, it assigns about 25 million to $25,000–$49,999 and 27 million to $50,000–$74,999, whereas those figures are approximately 27 and 21 million respectively in 2007. It also gives roughly 22 million for $75,000–$99,999, rather than about 14.5 million, and says the lowest group had 15 million instead of about 25 million. The account is incomplete, ending mid-sentence, and the 2015 comparisons are not reported. The response is also 16 words below the required minimum. Select accurate key figures and complete the summary.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5

There is a basic attempt to organise the response: an opening sentence is followed by an overall statement and then details for 2007 and 2011. Linking expressions such as “Overall,” “In contrast,” and “Meanwhile” help signal relationships between points. However, the progression is not sustained: the final “In” leaves the response unfinished, and the reader receives no completed comparison of the years. Some transitions also connect information whose categories or figures are unclear, making the sequence difficult to follow. Use separate paragraphs for the overview and the main comparisons, and organise the details consistently by year or by income group. Complete each sentence and use clear references so readers can track which category each figure describes.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The response uses some relevant chart vocabulary, including “income categories,” “increased considerably,” “accounted for,” and “relatively minor changes.” These choices show an attempt to describe trends rather than simply list numbers. However, the range is limited and several spelling or word-choice problems reduce clarity, such as “annul,” “house hold,” and “approxmitely.” The repeated use of “number” and “group” also makes the description less precise. In addition, the income bands are written with “@” instead of the dollar sign, which makes the labels harder to interpret. Practise accurate spelling and use standard currency notation; vary expressions such as “the number of households” with “household total” or “the figure for this income band.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt some sentence variety, including a contrastive overview and a clause beginning “while,” and the main meaning is often recoverable. However, grammatical control is inconsistent. Examples include “the household earning 100,000 or more increased,” where the plural subject should be “households,” and “the lowest income category … accounted for roughly 15 million household,” which needs plural agreement. Missing or inconsistent articles and punctuation also occur, as in “in the united state” and the crowded comma spacing in the opening. The final fragment, “In,” leaves a sentence incomplete. Use complete sentences, check singular and plural forms, and proofread articles, capitalization, and punctuation. A wider range of accurately controlled sentence patterns would make the comparisons clearer.

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