Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-08-24
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 yearly income of the U.S households in three different years.
Overall, the household who earn 100 million occupied the top position, whereas 75 thousands to 99,999 thousands recorded the lowest figure.
The category of 100k or more recorded the highest figure in 2007 with almost 30, compared with nearly 28 millions in the 2011 and reached peak in 2015 with just under 35. The category $25,000 to $49,999 stood at just over 25 millions in the starting year before reaching the highest number 30 millions in 2011 beafore expericed a slight declined in 2015.
Turning to the rest figures, the people who earned $75,000 to $99,999 remained the lowest figure and under 15 millions in all three years and the similar trend experienced in the group $50,000-$74,999 remained the same and the second lowest figure and just over 20 millions in the given years.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
You have successfully identified the main trends and provided relevant data points to support your summary. However, there are significant inaccuracies in your data reporting. For instance, you mention '100 million' as an income category, which is a misreading of the chart's '$100,000 or more' label. Additionally, your description of the $75,000-$99,999 category as 'under 15 millions' is imprecise given the visual data. While you cover all categories, the lack of precision in interpreting the units and labels prevents a higher score. To improve, ensure you carefully transcribe the labels from the chart axes and double-check your data points against the visual evidence.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The response is organised into logical paragraphs, with an introduction, an overview, and body paragraphs. You use some cohesive devices such as 'Turning to', 'whereas', and 'in all three years' to link ideas. However, the flow is occasionally hindered by awkward phrasing, such as 'the similar trend experienced in the group', which makes the progression of ideas feel slightly mechanical. The referencing is sometimes unclear, particularly in the final paragraph where the comparison between groups could be more explicitly linked. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring smoother transitions between sentences would enhance the overall coherence.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
Your vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing you to describe trends like 'reached peak' and 'slight declined'. However, there are errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'the rest figures' instead of 'the remaining figures' and 'the household who earn' instead of 'households earning'. You also struggle with numerical notation, confusing 'millions' with the actual scale of the chart. To reach a higher band, focus on using more precise terminology for describing trends (e.g., 'fluctuated', 'remained stable') and ensure your terminology accurately reflects the data provided in the prompt.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. Examples include 'the household who earn 100 million occupied' (subject-verb agreement), 'beafore expericed a slight declined' (spelling and tense errors), and 'the similar trend experienced in the group... remained the same' (awkward syntax). While the meaning is generally understandable, these persistent errors in tense, spelling, and sentence construction limit your score. Focusing on proofreading for basic subject-verb agreement and ensuring consistent verb tenses when describing past data will help improve your accuracy.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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