Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-07-25

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 5.5)

The given bar chart depicts the information about the number of households in US according to annual income in millions in the year 2007, 2011 and 2015.

In US, in year 2007, 25 millions households possess income of less than 25 thousand which was 5 million less than people who owned more than millions per year. The individual with income up to 50000 dollars per year were around 27 millions followed by difference of declined amount of 6 millions by group of people with income range up to 74999 dollars which furthermore followed by people with income range of up to 99999 dollars with 14 millions of households.

In year 2011 and 2015 people who have income lass than 25 thousand hold around 27 millions and 33 millions households. People with income range up to 99999 shows minimum household around 15 million in both years.

To sum up, people with highest income show highest interest in buying house in year in 2015.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response attempts to summarize the data but fails to provide a clear overview of the main trends. The description of the data is fragmented and lacks a logical selection of key features. For instance, the comparison between 2007 and 2011/2015 is confusing, and the final summary sentence regarding 'interest in buying house' is not supported by the data provided in the chart, which only tracks income levels. To improve, ensure you identify the most significant changes or trends across the three years and avoid making assumptions not present in the source material.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organized into paragraphs, but the progression of ideas is disjointed. The use of cohesive devices is mechanical and sometimes inaccurate, such as the phrase 'which furthermore followed by'. The transition between the years is abrupt, and the lack of clear referencing makes it difficult for the reader to follow the comparison of data points. Improving the use of linking words and ensuring that each paragraph has a clear focus would significantly enhance the flow of the response.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is somewhat limited and repetitive. There are several inaccuracies in word choice, such as 'possess income' instead of 'earn an income' or 'have an income', and 'declined amount' which is used incorrectly to describe a numerical difference. The phrasing 'people who owned more than millions' is also unclear and grammatically awkward. To reach a higher band, you should focus on using more precise terminology for describing statistical data, such as 'fluctuated', 'remained stable', or 'accounted for'.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response contains frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. There are issues with article usage ('in US' instead of 'in the US'), pluralization ('25 millions households'), and subject-verb agreement ('people... shows minimum household'). The sentence structures are mostly simple, and attempts at complex sentences often result in errors, such as the run-on sentence in the second paragraph. Focusing on basic sentence construction and proofreading for articles and plural forms would help improve the accuracy of your writing.

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