Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-08-30
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 information in terms of millions regarding the household's annual worth levels in the United states in the years 2007,2011 and 2015 is shown by the bar graph.
Looking from an overall perspective, it is evident that the category of people with yearly income of $75,000-$99,999 shown the least strength in all three given years. In contrast, the majority of Americans, who are richer from all other income groups, registered themselves with high figures.
As can be seen, In 2007, almost similar figures of America's households were noticed, whose annual net worth was less than $25000 and $49,999. A difference of around 5% in noticed in earning categories of more than 50 thousand and less than 1 lac dollars, which was around 21% for group $50,000-$74,999 and 14% for group $75,000-$99,999, In addition to this, approximately double amount of households from the earning category of more than 75k and less then 99k, were witnessed for $100,000 or more earners.
In 2011 and 2015, the bars are showing the same trend repeated in both latter given years, with figures of around 30 million people were having earnings of >25000$ between $49,000 and exact same population of America were noted for $50,000 and $99,999 income receivers, at near about 20% and 15%, respectively for both group. In case of more than 1 lac dollars earning individuals were having the with the higher strength in 2011 as well as 2015, with figures of 27 millions people in 2011 and 34 millions were in 2015.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The response provides an overview and selects key features, such as the trends for the highest and lowest income groups. However, the report is marred by significant inaccuracies in data interpretation. For instance, the claim that the $75,000-$99,999 category showed the 'least strength' is contradicted by the chart, which shows other categories (such as $100,000+) having different values. Furthermore, the description of the data is often confusing, particularly when mixing percentages and raw numbers (millions), making it difficult for the reader to follow the trends. The analysis lacks precision, and some comparisons are mathematically unclear or inaccurate based on the provided visual information.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organised into paragraphs, which helps the reader navigate the structure. However, the progression of ideas is often disjointed. The use of cohesive devices is sometimes mechanical or misused, such as 'In addition to this' or 'In case of more than 1 lac dollars'. Additionally, referencing is occasionally unclear, particularly when discussing the trends for 2011 and 2015, where the connection between the categories and the figures becomes muddled. While there is an attempt to group information, the lack of logical flow between sentences hinders the overall coherence of the report.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the precision required for a higher band. There are several instances of awkward phrasing and word choice, such as 'registered themselves with high figures', 'earning individuals were having the with the higher strength', and the use of '1 lac' (which is not standard in IELTS). The range of vocabulary is somewhat limited, relying on repetitive structures to describe the data. To improve, you should focus on using more precise terminology for describing trends and data points, such as 'fluctuated', 'remained stable', or 'accounted for'.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. Common issues include subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'bars are showing the same trend repeated'), incorrect preposition usage, and awkward sentence construction (e.g., 'figures of around 30 million people were having earnings of >25000$ between $49,000'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with the placement of commas and the formatting of currency. While the meaning is generally discernible, the high frequency of errors prevents the writing from reaching a higher band score.
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.