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 households in the United States by their annual income in the year [redacted phone] and 2015.

Overall, it is clearly seen that the families who had the highest yearly income stood at the highest in 2015 and the same goes for year 2007. While the households earning between 75 to 99 thousands were the lowest in all the years.

In 2007, there were 29 millions families earning more than 0.1 million dollars and around 26 millions households were earning between 25 to less than 50 thousands dollars. In 2011, earning between 25 and 49 thousands dollar was the famous category which was practiced by 30 millions people and the least famous category was 75 to 99 thousands dollars which was accounted for only 14 million

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

You identify the chart’s subject and give a broad overview, correctly noting that the $75,000–$99,999 group was the smallest in each year and that the $100,000-or-more group was highest in 2007 and 2015. However, the overview is incomplete: the highest-income group was not highest in 2011, when the $25,000–$49,999 group led. The report gives only a few figures, omits the 2015 details, and does not describe several important trends, such as the stability of the $50,000–$74,999 category. Some figures are also imprecise, though approximate readings are acceptable. The response is 18 words below the required minimum, further limiting its coverage. Add a fuller comparison across all three years and report the main changes accurately.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has a basic structure: an introduction, an overview, and a paragraph with selected figures. This gives the reader some sense of organisation, and the time sequence in the final paragraph is understandable. However, the report ends abruptly after the 2011 comparison and never develops the 2015 data, so there is no complete progression through the chart. Connections between ideas are limited, and the contrast introduced by “While” in the overview is not formed as a complete sentence. The repeated use of “In 2007” and “In 2011” provides some sequencing, but comparisons across categories and years are not linked clearly. Organise the details into a complete comparison, using clear transitions and a concluding comparison of the 2015 figures.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant chart vocabulary, including “illustrates,” “households,” “annual income,” and “category,” so the topic is generally clear. There is also an attempt to vary wording with “earning” and “yearly income.” However, several choices are inaccurate or unnatural for describing statistical data: “the most famous category” and “was practiced by 30 millions people” do not convey household numbers appropriately. Phrases such as “stood at the highest” and “75 to 99 thousands” are also imprecise. These choices sometimes make the intended comparison harder to follow. Use standard reporting language such as “the largest group,” “accounted for,” and “approximately 30 million households,” and keep income bands in a consistent, clear format.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including the overview sentence beginning “While the households…” and the comparison introduced by “In 2011.” Meaning is usually recoverable, but grammatical control is uneven. The opening sentence needs clearer punctuation between the years, and “the families who had the highest yearly income stood at the highest” has an unclear subject and structure. In “the least famous category was 75 to 99 thousands dollars which was accounted for only 14 million,” the relative clause is awkwardly attached and the sentence lacks final punctuation. There are also problems with number forms and agreement, as in “29 millions families” and “30 millions people.” Practise accurate noun phrases and complete, well-punctuated comparisons while retaining some complex structures.

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