Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-10-25

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 figure of familes in the US by there yearly salary in 2007,2011 ans 2015

Overall, In 2015 had the highest annual income household in compare to three different years.In contrast 2011 had lowest household income.

Firstly , In2007 there was 25 million household had less than 25 thousand dollars then increase slightly to 27 millions of income between 25k dollars to 49.9k dollars furthermore then show a noticable decline and then increase and reached pesk of 29 million households of more than 1 million dollars .similarly in 2011 show same varition of graph but only 1 million imcome declined.

Moreover in 2015 had highest of 33 millions house hold income were 1 million or more and less than 25k is the gigure of 28 million then lowest is 15 million of households with 75k to 99.9k dollars.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response4.5
Coherence and Cohesion5.5
Lexical Resource5.0
Grammatical Range and Accuracy5.0
Overall5.0

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

You identify the chart’s subject and include some relevant figures, such as 25 million households in the lowest income group in 2007 and about 33 million in the $100,000-or-more group in 2015. However, the overview is unclear and partly inaccurate: 2015 does not have the highest household count across all income groups, and 2011 is not simply the year with the lowest figures. The response also misreads the categories, describing a peak of “more than 1 million dollars” rather than $100,000 or more, and gives little accurate comparison across all five groups. The response is 142 words, below the required 150. To improve, provide a clear overview of the main patterns and compare the categories using accurate labels and figures.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

There is a basic attempt to organise the response: an introduction, an overview, and paragraphs beginning with “Firstly” and “Moreover.” This gives the reader some sense of sequence, and the years are discussed in chronological order. However, progression is difficult to follow because several ideas are joined into long, unclear sentences, especially the account of 2007, which moves between income groups without clearly identifying each comparison. Linking words such as “then,” “furthermore,” and “similarly” are used mechanically or do not show the relationship accurately. Use separate sentences to report each year or group, and make the overview a distinct, concise summary of the main trends.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The response uses some task-related vocabulary, including “bar chart,” “households,” “annual income,” “increase,” and “decline,” so the topic is generally recognisable. However, the range is limited and several word choices or spelling errors make the data difficult to interpret. For example, “familes,” “there yearly salary,” “pesk,” and “varition” are inaccurate, while “more than 1 million dollars” substantially mislabels the highest income category. Phrases such as “highest annual income household” and “lowest household income” are also imprecise when you mean the number of households in an income band. Use the chart’s exact category labels and practise collocations such as “the number of households in the highest income bracket.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt some longer sentences and use basic sequencing structures, but sentence control is inconsistent. For example, “Overall, In 2015 had the highest annual income household” lacks a clear subject and has an incomplete structure; “there was 25 million household had less than 25 thousand dollars” combines incompatible verb patterns and has agreement errors. Articles, plurals, and punctuation are also unreliable, as in “In2007” and “29 millions.” Most sentences contain errors, and these sometimes obscure the intended comparison. Build a reliable base with simple, complete sentences—for example, “In 2007, there were about 25 million households earning less than $25,000”—then add controlled comparisons using “while” or “whereas.”

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

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