Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-07-26

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 bar graph illustrates the information about a yearly household income of America's people in three distinct years. It has been manifested that who's annual wages was Less than $100,000 or more million likely to increased by $34000 million, as compared to other four categories income by 2015.

To commence with, in 2007 the ratio of Less than $25,000 was about a quarter, whereas for the $25,000-$49,999 million more than a quarter. Moreover, $50,000-$74,999 and $75,000-$99,999 wages were approximately under a minority to a fifth. Over next year in 2011, the fraction of these both categories income remained stable until 2015. Remaining last income sector earn between 29 to 34 millions in US from 2007 to 2015.

Furthermore, the annual wages of first two household incomes were about 34-30 millions in 2011. Surprisingly, these both wages income remained unchanged till the end of year in America. In contrast, $75,000-$99,999 early income was under one in ten and slightly surged to 15 million , in 2015.

Overall, it is clear that most of all categories household yearly income remained steady throughout the year.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response attempts to summarize the data, but it struggles to accurately report the main features. The interpretation of the figures is often confusing, particularly the use of 'millions' when referring to the number of households, which misrepresents the data scale. While the response identifies some trends, the lack of clarity in comparing the categories makes it difficult to follow the information. The overview is present but lacks precision, as it claims most categories remained 'steady' despite some notable fluctuations in the data. To improve, focus on accurately transcribing the figures from the chart and ensuring the units of measurement are used correctly.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organized into paragraphs, which helps the reader navigate the text. However, the logical progression is frequently interrupted by unclear referencing and confusing sentence structures. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'To commence with' and 'Furthermore', but they are sometimes applied mechanically or inappropriately given the context of the data. The relationship between the ideas is often obscured by the inaccurate reporting of the figures, which makes the overall flow feel disjointed. Improving the use of linking words to show clear comparisons rather than just listing data points would enhance the coherence of the response.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is limited and often imprecise. There is a reliance on basic descriptors, and the misuse of terms like 'millions' when describing household counts significantly impacts the clarity of the report. Phrases such as 'manifested that who's annual wages' are grammatically awkward and lexically inaccurate. While the student attempts to use some topic-specific language like 'fraction' and 'categories', the overall range is insufficient to convey the data with the necessary precision for an Academic Task 1 response. Expanding the range of reporting verbs and comparative adjectives would be beneficial.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response contains frequent grammatical errors that often impede communication. There are issues with subject-verb agreement ('wages was', 'categories income remained'), incorrect word order, and awkward sentence construction ('the ratio of Less than $25,000 was about a quarter'). The use of complex structures is attempted but is consistently faulty, leading to confusion. While the meaning can generally be inferred, the high frequency of errors in basic sentence structure prevents the response from reaching a higher band. Focusing on basic sentence accuracy and ensuring correct verb forms will help improve the clarity of the writing.

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