Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-08-20
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 informs about number of households in millions in US by their yearly earning in three different years.
Overall, it can be seen that highest income group individuals held the greatest number of items in their homes across all given three years. Although, the second highest income group in US had least number of house-items.
The individuals of US who earns less than 25k dollar annually in 2007 were one-fourth numbers. Later in 2011 and 2015 it slightly increased. The number of households of the individuals who earns 50k to 75k dollars, remained stable in all given three years. Although the number of households with yearly earning between 25k to 50k dollars were more than 25 million in 2007 which was increased slightly in 2011, though it fell down by few numbers in 2015.
The highest income individuals had the greater number of households throughout all given years, although it fell by few number in 2011, still highest compares to other catagories.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The response covers the main features of the chart, but the analysis is significantly hampered by inaccurate interpretation of the data. For instance, the claim that the 'highest income group individuals held the greatest number of items in their homes' is a misinterpretation of the graph, which tracks the number of households by income bracket, not household items. Furthermore, the description of the data is vague; terms like 'one-fourth numbers' and 'fell down by few numbers' lack precision and fail to reference the specific figures provided on the axes. To improve, you must focus on accurately reading the data points and using specific numbers to support your comparisons.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat mechanical and occasionally misused. For example, the use of 'Although' at the start of the second paragraph is grammatically incorrect in context, as it does not introduce a subordinate clause. Additionally, the transition between ideas is sometimes abrupt, and the referencing is occasionally unclear, particularly when discussing the income categories. Improving the variety and accuracy of linking words would help the flow of the response significantly.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the precision required for a higher band. You rely on repetitive phrasing such as 'number of households' and 'given three years'. There are also some inaccuracies in word choice, such as 'house-items' instead of 'households' and 'earns' instead of 'earned' (given the past tense context of 2007-2015). To reach a higher band, you should incorporate more varied terminology related to data description, such as 'fluctuated', 'remained constant', or 'a marginal increase'.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. Common issues include subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'individuals... who earns') and incorrect article usage (e.g., 'in US' instead of 'in the US'). While the meaning is generally understandable, the frequency of these errors prevents the writing from reaching a higher band. Focusing on consistent tense usage—specifically using the past tense for historical data—and ensuring subject-verb agreement will improve the accuracy of your writing.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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