Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-10-14

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 US by their annual earning in 2007, 2011 and 2015.

Overall, it is evident that in 2015 more than 30% of households were annually earning highest income. In 2007 nearly 29% of household were earning $ 1 million or more. In 2011 the proportion fell by 2%, and 28% of the households were earning $ 1 million or more annually.

Furthermore, over the course of all three years almost 13 to 15 % of the hoseholds were one with the lowest income.In 2011 about 30% households were earning nearly half a million $. In 2015 the percentage fell slightly to 28%. The ratio of people earning less than $25,000 also rose to 28% which was 8 % higher than 2007. In 2015 the precentage of household earning less than $25,000 fell to 26 % as the year recorded the highest proportion of households earning more than 1 million $.Subsquently, the precentage of household earning between half million $ to 75,000 remain contant throughout all three years at 21%.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

The response identifies several relevant patterns, including the stability of the $50,000–$74,999 group and the rise in households earning $100,000 or more by 2015. However, the overview and comparisons contain major inaccuracies: the chart reports household numbers in millions, not percentages, and the highest-income category is $100,000 or more, not $1 million or more. The claim that the lowest-income group was only 13–15 million confuses it with another category; it was about 25–28.5 million. Some figures are also misreported, such as the 2015 low-income value. These errors make the account only partially accurate and leave important features unclear. Report the units and income bands precisely, then select and compare the main trends.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5

The response has a basic sequence: an introduction, an overview beginning “Overall,” and further comparisons. It also uses linking expressions such as “Furthermore” and “In 2015.” However, the progression is difficult to follow because the overview mixes years and categories, and the next paragraph shifts between income groups without a clear organising principle. For example, the discussion moves from the lowest-income group to households earning nearly half a million, then back to those below $25,000. Some references, such as “the year” and “the proportion,” are not always clear. Group the figures by income band or by trend, and use paragraphing and linking phrases to make each comparison easy to track.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The response uses a reasonable range of task-related vocabulary, including “illustrates,” “proportion,” “ratio,” “rose,” and “fell slightly.” These choices show an attempt to describe data rather than simply list figures. However, several inaccurate or awkward expressions reduce precision: “annual earning,” “households were one with the lowest income,” and “earning between half million $ to 75,000” are not natural ways to describe the chart categories. There are also spelling errors, including “hoseholds,” “precentage,” “Subsquently,” and “contant.” Use standard income-band labels and collocations such as “households earning less than…” or “the number of households in the…” category, and proofread spelling carefully.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response attempts both simple and more complex sentence forms, including “In 2015 the percentage fell slightly…” and a clause beginning “which was 8% higher than 2007.” Most of the intended meaning can be understood, but grammatical control is uneven. Examples include missing articles and plural marking in “28% of household,” the awkward construction “the ratio of people…remain,” and the incomplete comparison “which was 8% higher than 2007.” Punctuation and spacing are also inconsistent, particularly where sentences run directly into the next one. Check subject–verb agreement, articles, and the structure of comparisons; for example, specify what the figure was higher than and use “the number of households” as the subject.

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