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 diagram illustrates the number of housholds in the US by their annual income in 2007, 2011 and 2015.

During 2007, 25 million household earn less than 25,000. representing about 1/4 of total population. Between 25,000 to 49,999 around 27 millions people fall. 75,000 to 99,999 only accounts for about 14 million households. 28 million households were earning net less than 100,000.

However, during 2011 the households earning 25,000, 25,000 to 49,999 slightly increase, whereas 100,000 or more and less than 25,000 decreases.

75,000 to 99,000 almost holds similar share, as they used to hold in 2007.

2015 shows some major improvements, specially household numbers of people who used to earn 100,000 or more, increases from 26 millions in 2007 to 33 millions in 2015 . Other categories, showing neglible changes, except households, who used to earn less than 25,000 increases by about 1 million in 2015 compared to 2011 and 2007.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.0

You identify the chart’s subject and report several relevant categories, including the rise in households earning $100,000 or more by 2015. However, the response only minimally fulfils the task: it has no clear, accurate overview of the main patterns, and several comparisons are incorrect or unclear. For example, the $100,000-plus group fell from about 29.5 million in 2007 to 27.5 million in 2011, rather than decreasing from 26 million in 2007; the under-$25,000 group rose from 25 million to about 28.5 million by 2011, not decreased. The statement that 28 million households earned “net less than 100,000” is also unsupported. The response is 140 words, below the 150-word minimum. Add a concise overview and select accurate key comparisons.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response is divided into time-based paragraphs, and words such as “However” and “whereas” show an attempt to connect comparisons. This gives the reader some organisation. However, there is no distinct overview, so the progression from the opening to the year-by-year details is incomplete. Some links are also difficult to follow: “the households earning 25,000, 25,000 to 49,999” repeats a category, while “as they used to hold in 2007” has an unclear reference. The final paragraph combines several trends in a long sentence, making the comparisons harder to track. Organise the report around an overview followed by clear comparisons, and use explicit category names and linking phrases consistently.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some task-relevant vocabulary, including “households,” “accounts for,” “increase,” and “decreases,” and the income bands are generally recognisable. However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate, sometimes obscuring the intended meaning. “People fall” does not describe a number of households, and “net less than 100,000” is not an appropriate way to express an income category. “Major improvements” is evaluative and unsuitable for a neutral chart report; “negligible changes” would be more precise if supported by the figures. Spelling errors such as “housholds” and “neglible” also reduce accuracy. Use neutral reporting language and check spelling and collocations.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt some longer sentences with contrast, for example, “whereas” and “except,” but control is inconsistent, and the range of sentence structures remains limited. Errors in agreement and verb forms occur in “25 million household earn” and “numbers … increases.” The sentence beginning “2015 shows” shifts awkwardly between the year and households as the subject, while “Between 25,000 to 49,999 around 27 millions people fall” lacks a clear grammatical structure. Punctuation is also uneven, including a full stop that separates “representing” from the preceding clause and an extra space before a full stop. Practise accurate subject–verb agreement, complete comparison clauses, and sentence boundaries before adding more complex structures.

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