Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-07-28
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 chart below illustrates the ratio of households in the united states of america by their annual pay in two thousand seven , two thousand eleven and two thousand fifteen . This chart demonstrates the fluctuation of annual income . In the beginning of two thousand seven the numbers were one hundred thousand then it increased to somewhere around twenty five thousand to forty nine thousand nine hundred ninety nine . then it dropped to
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response is significantly under the required 150-word minimum, which severely limits your ability to report main features or make comparisons. You have only begun to describe the data before the text ends abruptly. Because the response is incomplete, it fails to address the task requirements, resulting in a low score. To improve, you must ensure you provide an overview of the trends and support your summary with specific data points from all three years provided in the chart. Currently, the lack of development and the failure to complete the task prevent a higher assessment.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response is too brief to demonstrate a logical progression of ideas or effective paragraphing. While there is a basic attempt to introduce the chart, the lack of a body paragraph or a concluding summary means there is no overall coherence. Cohesive devices are absent, and the text stops mid-sentence, which disrupts the flow of information. To improve, you should structure your essay with an introduction, a clear overview of the main trends, and at least two body paragraphs that group data logically, using linking words to connect your sentences and ideas.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary used is very basic and repetitive. You rely on simple phrasing such as 'numbers were' and 'it increased'. There is no attempt to use academic vocabulary related to data description, such as 'fluctuated', 'remained stable', or 'peaked'. Furthermore, the writing style is informal, as seen in the use of 'annual pay' instead of 'annual income' and the failure to capitalize proper nouns like 'United States'. To improve, focus on learning topic-specific vocabulary for describing charts and graphs, and ensure you use formal, academic language throughout your writing.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The grammar is characterized by frequent errors and a lack of complex structures. You have written out numbers as words (e.g., 'two thousand seven'), which is unconventional and unnecessary in an academic report. There are also issues with punctuation and capitalization, such as the lack of capital letters for 'United States of America'. The sentence structure is simplistic and the text ends in an incomplete sentence fragment. To improve, practice using a variety of complex sentence structures and focus on basic grammatical accuracy, including proper capitalization and punctuation.
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