Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-10-13

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 the number of homes in the United States according to their annual income in the years of 2007, 2011 and 2015.

Overall, in the last year the high income's figure was high. While the average income people's figure was low rather than the others. Moreover, the number of households was counted in millions.

The individuals who earned less than $25000, the number of households was 25 million in 2007. The people who maked $25000-$49999, owned 27 million homes, as it is, this figure gradually decreased by 21 of $50000-$74999's income and 14 of $75000-$99999' income. Moreover, the individuals who earn more than $[redacted phone] owned 29 millions.

On the other hand, the persons whome income was less than $25000 and $25000-$49999, the number of housholds was almost same as 29 and 30 in the years of 2011 and 2015, respectively. In addition, the people who makes $50000-$74999 and $75000-$99999, the statistic of housholds was 20 and 14, respectively. Finally, the figure of the persons who make more than [redacted phone], own 26 homes in 2011, and 34 in 2015.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify the chart’s subject and report several relevant figures, including the 2007 values for the income groups and the rise in households earning at least $100,000 by 2015. However, the response only partly summarises the main features. The overview that high income was “high” and average income was “low” is vague, and it does not clearly identify the key pattern: the highest-income group became the largest in 2015, while the $50,000–$74,999 group stayed almost unchanged. Some figures are also inaccurate or unclear: for example, the 2011 and 2015 figures for the two lowest brackets are about 28–29.5 million, not simply 29 and 30 “respectively.” Select the main comparisons and report them precisely.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a basic structure: an introduction, an overview, and paragraphs describing figures from different years. This gives the reader some sense of how the information is organised. However, progression is not consistently clear. The first detail paragraph moves through the 2007 categories, while the next combines 2011 and 2015 figures without clearly separating the years or explaining the comparisons. Phrases such as “as it is” and “On the other hand” do not show the relationships between the data accurately, and “Moreover” is repeated. Organise the body by clear comparisons—for example, stable versus changing income groups—and use year labels and linking phrases that make each comparison explicit.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use relevant chart vocabulary such as “illustrates,” “figure,” “income,” and “households,” so the topic is generally understandable. However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate, sometimes making the meaning difficult to follow. “The high income’s figure was high” is vague and unnatural, while “owned 27 million homes” incorrectly describes the chart’s count of households. There are also spelling and form errors, including “housholds,” “maked,” and “whome.” Use precise reporting language and keep the unit consistent: the chart counts households, not homes or individuals. Avoid repeatedly substituting “persons” or “people” for income groups.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt some longer sentence forms, including a contrast beginning “While” and sentences linked with “Moreover” and “Finally.” However, complex constructions are often faulty, and errors occur frequently enough to make some relationships unclear. For example, “The individuals who earned less than $25000, the number of households was 25 million” has no grammatical link between its opening phrase and main clause. In “the people who makes,” the verb does not agree with its subject, and tense shifts between “earned,” “earn,” and “makes” are inconsistent. Plural and article forms also need attention, as in “29 millions.” Build each sentence around a clear subject and verb, and use consistent past-tense reporting for the years shown.

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