Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-08-29
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 provided bar graph illustrates the annual income in the household of US in 2007, 2011 and 2015.
Overall, we can see a trend that the annual income of the household in the US peaked at 2011 except for the people who earn $100,000 or more.
Detailed analysis of the graph showcases the rise in income of all the people who earn less than $100,000 yearly in 2011 as compared to 2007. The people who earn less than $25,000 annually has risen from 25 million in 2007 to 29 million in 2011 but dropped back to 27% in 2015. Similarly, the same goes for people who earned between $25,000 to $49,999 where the percentage has risen from 27 million in 2007 to 30 million in 2011 but dropped back to 28% in 2015.
On the other hand, the percentage people who earned between $75,000 to $99,999 had decreased from 14 million in 2007 to 13 million in 2011 but unexpectedly increased to 15 million in 2015. Additionally, the individuals who earned more than $100,000 annually had decreased from 29 million in 2007 to 27 million in 2011 but skyrocketed to 33 million in 2015.However, the people who earned between $50,000 to $74,999 had been constant at 31 million in all 3 years.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
You have successfully identified the main trends and provided a clear overview. However, there are significant issues with data accuracy. For instance, you mention that the number of people earning less than $25,000 dropped to '27%' in 2015, yet the chart uses absolute numbers (millions), not percentages. Furthermore, you state that the $50,000–$74,999 category remained 'constant at 31 million' in all three years, which contradicts the visual data showing fluctuations. While you cover all categories, the misinterpretation of the data units and values prevents a higher score. Ensure you carefully distinguish between absolute numbers and percentages when describing charts.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The response is organized into logical paragraphs, with an introduction, an overview, and body paragraphs focusing on different income groups. You use some cohesive devices such as 'Similarly', 'On the other hand', and 'Additionally' to link ideas. However, the progression of information is occasionally hindered by the confusing data reporting. The referencing is generally clear, but the transition between the overview and the detailed analysis could be smoother. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the different income brackets, which helps the reader follow the structure of your report.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'illustrates', 'showcases', 'skyrocketed', and 'annually'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation. For example, 'the annual income in the household of US' is slightly unnatural; 'US household income' would be more precise. Additionally, the misuse of 'percentage' when referring to millions of households indicates a lack of precision. While you attempt to use more sophisticated verbs like 'skyrocketed', the overall lexical control is limited by these recurring errors in data interpretation and terminology.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as 'The people who earn less than $25,000 annually has risen from...'. However, there are several grammatical errors, including subject-verb agreement issues (e.g., 'people... has risen' should be 'have risen') and inconsistent tense usage. Some sentences are slightly clunky, such as 'the same goes for people who earned between $25,000 to $49,999'. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they occur frequently enough to impact the overall fluency and accuracy of your writing.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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