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 bar chart depicts the number of households in the United States by considering annual income levels over the period from 2007 to 2015.

Overall, the highest-income groups owned more households in the US, whereas the group whose income was between $75,000-$99,999 had the lowest number of dwellings. Meanwhile, the $50,000-$74,999 group remained static in terms of the number.

In 2007, people who earned less than $25,000 registered a starting value of 25 million, increasing to nearly 28 million in 2011 before falling to 27 million in 2015. Conversely, Individuals whose income ranges between $25,000-49,999 commenced at approximately 26.5 million in the initial year and soared to 30 million in 2011, ending up owing roughly 28 million in 2015.

While the highest income-level groups owned a relatively large number of US residences, starting at nearly 29 million and peaking around 33 million in 2025, the second-highest groups had a lower number of households throughout the years; the figure was around 14- 15 million. Meanwhile, the $50,000-$74,999 income group remained constant during these years; the number was approximately 21 million.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response covers the main features of the chart, but there are significant inaccuracies in data reporting. For instance, you mention a peak in '2025', which is outside the scope of the data provided (2007-2015). Additionally, the description of the highest income group as having 'more households' is vague and contradicts the visual data, which shows specific trends for each category. While you attempt to identify key trends, the misinterpretation of the years and the lack of precise comparisons between categories limit the effectiveness of the report. To improve, ensure you carefully transcribe the years and categories provided in the prompt and focus on clear, accurate comparisons of the data points.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, with an introduction, an overview, and body paragraphs. You use some cohesive devices such as 'Meanwhile', 'Conversely', and 'While', which help to link ideas. However, the progression of ideas is sometimes hindered by the factual inaccuracies mentioned in the task achievement section. Paragraphing is used appropriately, but the transition between the second and third body paragraphs feels slightly disjointed. The referencing is generally clear, but the overall logical flow is impacted by the confusion regarding the data points.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'depicts', 'static', 'soared', and 'residences'. There are some minor issues with word choice, such as 'ending up owing', which is not the most natural way to describe statistical data. You attempt to use less common vocabulary, but some of these choices are slightly imprecise in this context. The spelling is accurate throughout, and the vocabulary is sufficient to convey the intended meaning, even if it lacks the sophistication required for a higher band score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as the use of 'While' clauses to create contrast. There are some grammatical errors, such as 'the group whose income was between $75,000-$99,999 had the lowest number of dwellings' (which is factually questionable based on the chart) and 'ending up owing roughly 28 million'. Punctuation is generally handled well, though there is a minor error with spacing in '14- 15 million'. The errors present do not significantly impede communication, but they do prevent the response from reaching a higher band for accuracy.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.