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 graph compares the total number of households in the US, in three years 2007. 2011 and 2015. It also comapre the annual income of thoer housholds in millions.

Overall, annual earning and number of households increased over the time. People earning average salaries throughout the year remain unchanged.

In 2007,the number of households earning less than $25000 are 25 million. thid figure rose to 28 million in 2011 and and declined again in 2015 with 25 million. About 22 million households were earning $25000-$49999 in 2007 and the number increaed to 30 million in 2011 and decreased to 28 million in 2015.

Households with annual income around $50000-$74999 were reamind same throughout the period ans it was 20 million. In 2007, 14 million households were having $75,000-$99,999 yearly income. Numer decreases to 13 million in 2011 and rose to 30 million again in 2015. Number of households earning $ [redacted phone] or more are 29 million in 2007. The figure decreased to 25 million in 2011 and then soar to 37 million in 2015.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify the chart’s subject and report figures for all five income groups, including the broad stability of the $50,000–$74,999 group. However, the overview is unclear and partly inaccurate: “annual earning and number of households increased” does not capture the mixed trends, and the middle-income group was stable rather than all average salaries generally. Several figures also misrepresent the chart: the $75,000–$99,999 group rose to about 15 million in 2015, not 30 million, while the highest-income group reached about 33.5 million, not 37 million. The lower-income group ended near 28 million, not 25 million. Select the most important contrasts and check each figure against the chart to make the summary more complete and reliable.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a basic structure: an introduction, an overview and two paragraphs of details. It also groups several income bands together, which gives the reader some sense of organisation. However, progression is weakened by the overview’s broad claim that household numbers increased, followed by mixed trends in the detail paragraphs. The second detail paragraph moves through three categories without clearly highlighting their contrasts, and linking is mostly limited to repeated time markers such as “In 2007” and “in 2011.” Use clearer comparisons between categories and connect changes with precise transitions such as “by contrast” or “whereas.” This would make the sequence of information easier to follow and reduce the list-like effect.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use relevant chart vocabulary, including “figure,” “declined,” “increased” and “throughout the period,” and the income ranges are generally identifiable. However, the range is limited and several spelling and word-choice errors make parts less clear, for example “comapre,” “thoer housholds,” “increaed” and “soar.” Some expressions are also imprecise for describing data: “annual earning” and “People earning average salaries” do not clearly refer to household counts, while “were having” is an awkward way to describe income groups. Choose accurate terms such as “households,” “income bracket” and “stood at,” and proofread spelling. More precise vocabulary would help distinguish rises, falls and stable figures.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple statements and longer sentences with time clauses, such as “the number increased to 30 million in 2011 and decreased to 28 million in 2015.” However, grammatical control is inconsistent. There are errors in agreement and verb forms, as in “the number of households … are 25 million” and “Numer decreases,” as well as tense inconsistency when describing past data. Sentence boundaries and punctuation are also faulty: the opening lists years with a full stop, and several sentences lack spaces after commas. Articles and plural forms are sometimes missing or incorrect. Practise consistent past-tense reporting, subject–verb agreement and accurate sentence punctuation; these corrections would make your meaning more dependable.

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