Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-08-09
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 chart illustrates the number of households and their average yearly earnings over the three years 2007, 2011, and 2015 in America.
Overall, it can be observed that the annual income of 100,000 dollars significantly rose in the last year of the given period. While the annual income of 50 thousand to less than 75 thousand remained stable throughout the whole period.
Now, turning to the details, the number of households for the section of less than 25 thousand peaked in 2011, slightly below 30 millions and in the year of 2007 and 2015 culmination of houses was exact 25 and nearly 28 million respectively. The annual income 25 to 49,999 dollars mostly maintained between 25 to 30 millions.
75 thousand to less than 100,000 among the households income dropped in 2011 about 17 millions being in the lowest compared to total households income and in 2007 and 2015 it was quite stable to about 15 million. Whereas the earnings among the USA houses reached its peaked in 2015 recorded as the highest among all other.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The response covers the main features of the chart, but the analysis is inconsistent. While you identify some trends, the data reporting is often inaccurate or confusing. For example, you mention the 100,000 dollar income category 'significantly rose' in 2015, but the chart shows a clear upward trend across all years. Furthermore, the description of the 75,000 to 100,000 category is difficult to follow and contains inaccuracies regarding the figures. To improve, ensure that you clearly distinguish between the number of households and the income brackets, and double-check your data points against the chart to ensure your summary is factually precise.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organised into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the logical progression within paragraphs is sometimes hindered by awkward phrasing and a lack of clear cohesive devices. For instance, the transition 'Now, turning to the details' is a bit mechanical. The use of referencing is occasionally unclear, such as in the final sentence where 'earnings among the USA houses' is vague. To reach a higher band, focus on using a wider variety of linking words (e.g., 'consequently', 'in contrast', 'furthermore') to connect your ideas more fluidly and ensure that each sentence builds logically upon the previous one.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
You have a sufficient range of vocabulary to describe the chart, using terms like 'illustrates', 'remained stable', and 'peaked'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation that affect precision. For example, 'culmination of houses' is not an appropriate term for describing data points on a bar chart. Additionally, the phrase 'being in the lowest compared to total households income' is grammatically and lexically awkward. To improve, focus on using more precise academic vocabulary for data description, such as 'fluctuated', 'accounted for', or 'a significant proportion', and ensure your collocations are natural.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. However, there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. Common issues include incorrect article usage (e.g., 'the annual income of 100,000 dollars'), subject-verb agreement errors, and awkward phrasing (e.g., 'the annual income 25 to 49,999 dollars mostly maintained between'). Punctuation is generally functional, but some sentences are fragmented or run-on. To improve, focus on mastering basic sentence construction and proofreading for common errors like missing prepositions or incorrect pluralisation. Increasing the variety of complex structures while maintaining accuracy will help you achieve a higher score.
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.