Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-08-26
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 graph shows the the number of house holds in the United states by their annual income. The graph compares the house holds of three years with different categories. The categories are defined by the amount of income. The graph is described in detail in the below paragraph.
The data given in the graph is of three years, 2007, 2011, and 2015. In 2007 the households having $100K or more annual income are the highest of all other categories. The households having income less than $75K-$99K are the lowest of all. Where there is not much difference between the households having income of $25K-$49K and less than $25K. The number of house holds having income greater or equal to $100K were 29.5. And the households having income $75K-$99K were 25. In year 2011 the households having income greater or equal to $100K decreased and became the third largest of all other categories. The highest was the category of house holds having income of $25K-$49K which was 30. Where the category of house holds having income of less than $25K were 2 less than the highest one. In the year 2015 a great increase was seen in the households having income greater or equal to $100K which reached 33 which was highest of all three years. The category of households having income of $75K-$99K remain the lowest which was 15.
Overall there is not much difference in the values of all categories in years 2007 and 2011. The category of households having income greater or equal to $100K got a big difference in 2015 with a great increase. Where as the category of households having income of $75K-$99K remained the lowest of all categories for all three years.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response covers the main features of the data and makes relevant comparisons. You successfully identified the trends for the highest and lowest income categories across the three years. However, the report lacks precision in data presentation; for instance, you mention '29.5' and '30' without specifying that these figures represent millions of households. Additionally, the overview is somewhat weak, as it focuses on the lack of difference rather than highlighting the most significant trends, such as the growth in the highest income bracket. To improve, ensure all data points are clearly contextualized and the overview provides a more analytical summary of the overall trends.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response is organized into logical paragraphs, with an introduction, body paragraphs, and an overview. However, the flow between sentences is occasionally mechanical, and the use of cohesive devices is somewhat repetitive (e.g., 'The households having...'). Referencing is sometimes unclear, such as in the phrase 'Where there is not much difference', which lacks a clear antecedent. While the paragraphing is appropriate, the transition between the detailed data reporting and the final summary could be smoother to improve the overall progression of ideas.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks variety and precision. You rely heavily on repetitive phrasing like 'households having income of'. There are also some minor errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'a great increase was seen' and 'got a big difference', which are slightly informal for an Academic Task 1 report. To reach a higher band, try to incorporate more varied reporting verbs and nouns, such as 'fluctuated', 'witnessed a surge', or 'remained the most prominent category'.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are several grammatical errors, including missing articles ('in United states'), incorrect pluralization ('house holds'), and awkward sentence fragments ('Where as the category...'). Punctuation is generally functional, but there are some issues with sentence boundaries and run-on structures. To improve, focus on subject-verb agreement and ensure that complex sentences are constructed with greater accuracy to avoid these persistent errors.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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