Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-10-29

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 annual income of the US households in year 2007,2011 and 2015.

Overall, the citizens having income 1 lac or more had the largest number of household by 2015. However the residents having income around 50,000 to 74,000, remian stable throughout the period. Unit of measurement is millions.

On one hand, the Americans having income less than 25000 dollar had 25 million houses in 2007 which gradually increased to 29 million by 2011 and declined t0 around 26 million by 2015. However the citizens with annual salary 75 000- 99,999 dollar remain stable through out the period.

Additionally, the

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

You identify the chart’s subject and include an overview noting that the $50,000–$74,999 group stayed stable and that the highest-income group was largest in 2015. However, the report is incomplete: it ends with “Additionally, the” and omits most comparisons, including the substantial rise in households earning $100,000 or more by 2015. Some figures are also inaccurate: the under-$25,000 group was about 28 million in 2015, not 26 million, and the $75,000–$99,999 group did not remain stable, changing from roughly 14.5 to 14 and then 15 million. The response is also 47 words below the required minimum. Develop a complete summary with accurate key figures and trends.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5

There is a basic attempt to organise the response, with an opening, an overview and a paragraph describing selected figures. Linking expressions such as “Overall,” “However” and “Additionally” show awareness of how to connect ideas. Nevertheless, progression is difficult to follow because the final sentence is unfinished, and the report stops before covering the remaining income groups. “On one hand” also introduces a contrast that is not clearly completed with a corresponding “on the other hand” point. The overview and details could be grouped more purposefully: first give the main overall patterns, then compare the income categories in a complete body paragraph. Use linking words only where the relationship between ideas is clear.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant vocabulary for describing a chart, including “increased,” “declined,” “stable” and “throughout the period,” so the main trends are generally understandable. There is also an attempt to vary references to people, such as “citizens,” “residents” and “Americans,” although these are not the most precise terms for household data. Several word choices and spelling errors reduce accuracy: “houses” should be “households,” “1 lac” is not suitable in this context, and “remian” is misspelled. The phrase “annual salary” also does not accurately describe the chart’s household-income categories. Use consistent, precise terms such as “households,” “income bracket” and “number of households,” and check spelling.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response includes both simple statements and some attempts at longer structures, for example, “the Americans having income less than 25000 dollar had 25 million houses … which gradually increased.” The meaning is usually recoverable, but grammatical control is uneven. The opening needs an article and clearer phrasing (“The bar graph compares…”); “in year 2007,2011 and 2015” has problems with articles, number agreement and punctuation; and “the citizens … had the largest number of household” has a plural-agreement error. Tense is also inconsistent: “remain stable” should be past tense when describing these completed years. Aim for complete, well-punctuated sentences and check articles, plurals and past-tense verbs.

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