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 graph illustrate the number of households in the US according to their annual budget in 2007, 2011 and 2015.
There have been no specific changes occurred during the given period in the US , the given years show almost the same zig-zag pattern except in 2015 where household earnings with more than 100,000 dollars crossed 30 million households in a single year.
In conclusion, households with income $25,000 to $49,000 are nearly the same ,varying in between 25 - 30 million and houses with earnings of $50,000 to $74,999 are almost steady in between 20-23 million in the graph, Meanwhile the number of residents are least with almost 13-15 million households with annual income of $75,000 - $99,999 furthermore , houses having an income of more than $100,000 showed a steady increasing in households showing around 30 million in 2007 which surpassed almost 32 million households in the US.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response covers the main features of the chart, but the analysis is somewhat superficial. While you identify the trends for different income brackets, the overview is weak and lacks a clear summary of the most significant changes. The statement that there were 'no specific changes' is inaccurate, as the data shows clear shifts in household numbers across the three years. Furthermore, the conclusion is used to present body paragraph information rather than synthesizing the main trends. To improve, ensure you provide a clear overview of the most prominent trends in the introduction or immediately following it, and focus on comparing the data points more precisely rather than just listing them.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0
The essay lacks a clear paragraph structure. It consists of an introduction and a single, long paragraph that attempts to function as both body and conclusion. This makes the progression of ideas difficult to follow. While you use some cohesive devices like 'meanwhile' and 'furthermore', their usage is sometimes mechanical or slightly misused in context. The lack of clear paragraphing hinders the logical flow of the report. To improve, divide your response into distinct paragraphs: an introduction, a clear overview of the main trends, and two body paragraphs that group related data points logically.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks precision and variety. You rely on basic descriptors like 'same', 'steady', and 'increasing'. There are also some awkward collocations, such as 'steady increasing in households' (should be 'steady increase') and 'household earnings with more than 100,000 dollars' (should be 'households with an annual income of...'). The range of vocabulary is limited, which prevents a higher score. To improve, try to incorporate more precise terminology related to data description, such as 'fluctuated', 'remained stable', 'surpassed', or 'upward trend'.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
There are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text that occasionally impede clarity. For example, 'The given graph illustrate' (subject-verb agreement error), 'There have been no specific changes occurred' (incorrect tense/passive voice usage), and 'houses having an income' (inappropriate word choice; 'households' is better). While you attempt some complex sentence structures, they are often marred by errors in punctuation and syntax. The use of commas is inconsistent, and some sentences are run-on. Focusing on basic sentence construction and ensuring subject-verb agreement will significantly improve your 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.