Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-08-03

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 depicts the number of the US household's annual income across three years. In 2015, more than thirty household reached millionaire status while in 2007 and 2011 their number remained below thirty. The households with income 50,000 to 74,999 dollars stayed same almost across all three years. However, the number of household with annual income ranging between 25000-49,999 dollars was all time high during 2011 and downward trend was observed in 2015 and 2007 respectively. During 2011, US household with income between 75,000 to 99,999$ remained all time low with little to no change in the remaining years. On the other hand, the no. of households with income less than 25000 dollars were minimum in 2007 and maximum in 2011. Overall this bar graph showed varying trends of annual income of the US households among all three years with maximum growth of millionaires in year 2015.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response fails to meet the minimum word count requirement of 150 words, which negatively impacts the task achievement score. While you have identified some key features, such as the growth in the millionaire category and the fluctuations in the 25,000–49,999 dollar bracket, the analysis is somewhat superficial. You have not fully utilized the data to make meaningful comparisons across all categories. The overview is present but lacks depth. To improve, ensure you provide a more comprehensive summary of the trends and ensure the response meets the length requirement to avoid a penalty.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The response is organized into a single paragraph, which makes it difficult to follow the progression of ideas. While there is a basic attempt at logical sequencing, the lack of paragraphing and limited use of cohesive devices (e.g., 'However', 'On the other hand') make the text feel somewhat disjointed. To achieve a higher band, you should structure your response with a clear introduction, a body paragraph for key trends, and a concluding overview. Using a wider range of linking words and ensuring clear paragraph breaks will significantly improve the flow of your writing.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

Your vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, but it lacks the precision and variety required for higher bands. You rely on repetitive phrasing, such as 'number of household' and 'income'. There are also some minor inaccuracies in word choice, such as 'reached millionaire status' which is slightly informal for an academic report. To improve, try to incorporate more varied synonyms for 'increase', 'decrease', and 'fluctuate', and ensure you use precise terminology when describing statistical data. Avoid informal expressions and focus on academic register.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response contains a mix of simple and some complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors. For example, 'number of the US household's annual income' is grammatically incorrect, and 'remained all time low' is missing a preposition. There are also issues with subject-verb agreement and article usage throughout the text. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are frequent enough to affect the clarity of your report. Focus on proofreading for basic errors like pluralization and missing articles to improve your accuracy.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.