Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-08-15

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 illustrates the number of households in the US by their annual income from 2007 to 2015.

Overall, it is evident that $100,000 or more was the highest number of households, whereas $75,000-$99,999 recorded the lowest figures. Additionally, the $50,000-$74,999 showed a remained unchanged trend over the given period.

Looking first at less than $25,000, it started at 25 millions in 2007 before rising steadily to 29 millions of households in 2011. In 2015, the number of households decreased slighly and it had almost 28 millions of households. The $25,000-$49,999 had around 27 millions of households in 2007. Its then significantly increased 30 millions of households in 2011. But its dropped down the numbers of households in 2015 and it had almost 29 millions of households.

Regarding $75,000-$99,000 was the lowest numbers of households between 2007 and 2011.It had around 14 millions of households in 2011, which was the lowest numbers in this bar chart. By contrast, the $100,000 or more was the highest number of households in 2015 and it had approximately 33 millions of households. But from 2007 to 2011 it had varied over the period. Meanwhile, the $50,000-$74,999 remained relatively stable throughout the period before ending at 21 millions of households.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

You have successfully identified the main features of the chart and provided a clear overview. You included data points to support your descriptions, which is essential for Task 1. However, there are some inaccuracies in your reporting; for instance, you stated that the $50,000-$74,999 category remained unchanged, but the data shows fluctuations. Additionally, some of your data interpretations are slightly imprecise. To reach a higher band, ensure that your summary of trends is strictly supported by the visual evidence and avoid over-generalizing when the data shows clear movement.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The response is organized into logical paragraphs, and there is a clear progression of ideas. You use some cohesive devices such as 'Additionally', 'Looking first at', and 'By contrast' to link your points. However, the use of cohesive devices is sometimes mechanical or slightly repetitive. Furthermore, the referencing is occasionally unclear, such as in the sentence 'Its then significantly increased', where the pronoun usage is grammatically incorrect and disrupts the flow of the argument. Improving the variety and accuracy of your linking words will help the text read more naturally.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'illustrates', 'recorded', and 'remained relatively stable'. However, there are some errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'showed a remained unchanged trend' and 'the lowest numbers in this bar chart'. You also frequently use 'millions of households' in a way that is slightly unnatural; it would be better to say '25 million households'. While your vocabulary is sufficient to convey the main points, you need to work on more precise collocations to move into the higher bands.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

You attempt a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text. Examples include 'Its then significantly increased 30 millions' (incorrect pronoun and missing preposition) and 'But its dropped down the numbers' (incorrect pronoun and awkward phrasing). There are also issues with subject-verb agreement and pluralization, such as '25 millions' instead of '25 million'. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they occur frequently enough to lower the score. Focus on mastering basic sentence construction and proofreading for small grammatical slips.

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

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