Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-08-31
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 depicts the information about data of domestic units of us along with their yearly income, in three distinct years 2007, 2011 and 2015.
Overall, it is vivid that, the bar graph represents data of households in us and their annual wages of three different time period. In every year three ranges of income has changed dramatically in every household, less than $25 thousands, $25,000 - $49,999 and $100, 000 or more. Whereas, other two ranges had change gradually.
To start with, in 2007 about 30 million domestic units had income of $100 thousand or more being the highest in all ranges, followed by range of $25-$49 thousands which was income of about one fourth of total houses. Whereas, it had changed significantly in 2011, 30 million houses had income of $25,000-$4999 which has inclined over the years. While, number of houses had declined with income of$100 thousands.
Furthermore, in 2015 pattern of households with different incomes had great changes, number of households with income of $100 thousands had shoot up to about 35 million house units. While, households with income Less than $25 ,000 and between $25,000 and $49,000 had decreased from what was in 2011 but is more than at what range it was in 2007.
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, including the trends for the different income brackets over the three years. However, the analysis is somewhat inconsistent. For instance, the description of the 2011 data is confusing, as the text mentions '30 million houses had income of $25,000-$4999' which contradicts the visual data provided. Additionally, the summary of the trends lacks precision in comparing the categories, and some figures are misread or poorly articulated. While the main features are identified, the lack of clarity in reporting specific data points limits the effectiveness of the response.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organised into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the flow of ideas is often hindered by awkward phrasing and repetitive sentence structures. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'To start with' and 'Furthermore', but they feel somewhat mechanical. The referencing is occasionally unclear, particularly when discussing the shifts between years, which makes the progression of the argument feel disjointed at times. Improving the use of linking words to show contrast and sequence would significantly enhance the overall coherence.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the precision required for a higher band. There is some repetition of basic terms like 'income', 'houses', and 'ranges'. The student attempts to use some descriptive verbs like 'inclined' and 'shoot up', but these are not always used in the most natural or accurate way. There are also minor errors in word formation and collocation, such as 'domestic units of us' and 'yearly income', which slightly detract from the professional tone expected in an Academic Task 1 response.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. However, there are frequent grammatical errors, including issues with articles ('the bar graph', 'in us'), subject-verb agreement, and punctuation (e.g., '$100, 000'). Some sentences are poorly constructed, such as 'the bar graph represents data of households in us and their annual wages of three different time period', which makes the meaning difficult to parse. While these errors do not completely prevent communication, they are frequent enough to impact the overall fluency and accuracy of the writing.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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