Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-08-27
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 chart shows the various household groups classified based on their annual income for three different years 2007, 2011 and 2015.
From the chart, it can be ascertained that minor fluctuations are there in number of household of five different income groups for all three years. In 2007,the households who had the highest income $100,000 or more are the highest in the numbers which refers to approximately 30 million houses. Household own the income of $75,000-$99,000 are lowest in the number, which is approximately half of the highest group was 15 millions. Similar pattern of highest and lowest household numbers followed in remining two years.
In the year 2015, highest annual income group was having the highest number of household and it was 32-33 million houses approximately. While in 2011, highest numbers of families, which were 30 million in numbers received their annual income between $25,000-$49,999 and in the year 2007, 29 million houses got the annually $100,000 or more which were the highest in number for that particular year.
Overall, number of households increase from 2007 to 2015 for all five income group.
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 chart, but the analysis is inconsistent and contains factual inaccuracies. For instance, the claim that the $75,000-$99,000 group was the lowest in 2007 is not supported by the data, and the summary of trends is somewhat confusing. While the response attempts to compare the years, the lack of clarity regarding which income groups are being discussed makes it difficult for the reader to follow the data. To reach a higher band, you must ensure that the data points cited are accurate and that the comparisons are clearly linked to specific income categories.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organized into paragraphs, but the logical flow is hindered by awkward phrasing and unclear referencing. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'In the year 2015' and 'Overall', but they are sometimes applied mechanically. The transition between the description of 2007 and the subsequent years is abrupt, and the lack of clear signposting makes the progression of ideas feel disjointed. Improving the use of linking words and ensuring that each paragraph has a clear thematic focus would significantly enhance the coherence of your writing.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The range of vocabulary is adequate for the task but remains quite basic and repetitive. Phrases like 'highest in the numbers' and 'lowest in the number' are used repeatedly, which limits the sophistication of the response. There are also some minor errors in word choice, such as 'remining' (remaining) and 'household own the income', which slightly affect the precision of the report. To improve, try to incorporate more varied synonyms for 'increase', 'highest', and 'number' to demonstrate a wider lexical range.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. Examples include 'minor fluctuations are there in number of household' (should be 'there are minor fluctuations in the number of households') and 'highest annual income group was having' (should be 'had'). Subject-verb agreement and article usage (e.g., 'the highest in the numbers') are inconsistent. While the meaning is generally understandable, the frequency of these errors prevents the writing from reaching a higher band.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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