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 chart compares the number of households in the US in terms of their annual income in 2007, 2011 and 2015. units are measured in millions.

Overall, it is clear that those who have more than $100,000 income spent most on households, while those with $75,000 to $99,999 salary spent least amount of money on households.

Looking at the first group in 2007, the people who have $100,000 or more spent around 29 million in households things, which was the highest among other categories. Around 27 million amount of expenditure on households spent by people who have $25,000-$49,999 annual income. In 2011, the highest amount of expenditure was spent by $25,000-$49,999 salary people, which is slightly higher than below $25,000 salary people ( around 30 million and 27 million). The least amount of money spent on households in the USA by $75,000-$99,999 salary around 14 million.

In the final year, those who $100,000 or more salary spent around 34 million in households chores. And those who have 50,0000-$74,999 salary spent around 22 million.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

You identify the chart’s subject and include some relevant comparisons, such as the highest category in 2007 and the rise to about 34 million in the $100,000-or-more group by 2015. However, the response only partially reports the data and its overview is inaccurate: the chart shows household counts, not how much people “spent” or “spent most on households.” The $75,000–$99,999 group is generally the smallest, but the $50,000–$74,999 group stays around 21 million, a useful stable trend you do not explain. There are also misread figures: in 2011, the $25,000–$49,999 group is about 29.5 million and the under-$25,000 group about 28.5 million, not 30 and 27. Focus on household numbers and summarise the main trends accurately.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and paragraphs describing selected years. Time markers such as “In 2011” and “In the final year” help the reader follow the sequence. However, the progression is not fully clear because the body moves between income groups and years without a consistent comparison pattern, and the final paragraph is very brief. The repeated wording about “amount of expenditure” also makes the relationships between categories harder to follow. Organise the body either by year or by income-group trends, and use clear comparisons to connect the figures—for example, contrast the two largest groups in each year and then note the stable middle-income category.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use relevant chart vocabulary, including “compares,” “categories,” “annual income,” and “highest,” so the topic is generally identifiable. However, the range is limited and several repeated or inaccurate expressions make the report less precise. “Spent most on households,” “amount of expenditure on households,” and “households chores” do not describe what the chart measures; it shows the number of households in each income band. “Salary people” is also an awkward way to refer to households. Use precise terms such as “households earning” or “the number of households,” and vary comparison language with “stood at,” “remained stable,” and “rose to.” This would make the account more natural and reduce confusion.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt a mixture of simple statements and longer comparative sentences, and the main message is usually understandable. However, errors occur frequently in sentence construction and control. For example, “Around 27 million amount of expenditure on households spent by people…” lacks a clear grammatical subject and verb structure, while “those who $100,000 or more salary” is missing a verb and has an incomplete clause. The opening of the overview also begins “Overall” correctly but then uses an awkward construction that obscures the intended comparison. There are punctuation and capitalisation slips, including “units” after a full stop and inconsistent spacing around parentheses. Practise complete subject–verb sentences, such as “There were around 27 million households in this income band.”

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