Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-09-02

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 illustrates the number of households In the US ,measured in millions according to their annual income in 2007, 2011 and 2015.

Overall, the figure captured that the largest household number were earning more than $100,000 annually in 2007. Despite the fall in 2011 it returned to be largest again in 2015. In contract, incomes between $75,000 and $99,999 were considered the lowest during the period.

In 2007, approximately 29 million households earned $100,000 or more which were the highest ,although it fall slightly to approximately 28 million households before it rose sharply to approximately 33 million households in 2015. Moreover, 27 million households classified the second by earning between $25,000 and $49,999 annually, therefore, it rose significantly to approximately 29 million households in 2011 before it fall slightly to 28 million in 2015. The less than $25,000 category has been risen from 25 million households in 2007 to approximately 28 million in 2011 and fall slightly to approximately 27 million in 2015.

Furthermore, the $25,000 to $49,999 and $75,000 to $99,999 were the lowest number in the hole period. the $50,000 to $74,999 category experienced a stable numbers during the period at approximately 21 million. Nevertheless, the $75,000 to $99,999 category experienced some fluctuated numbers from 14 million in 2007 falling to 13 million in 2011 to level off at 15 million in 2015

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response covers all parts of the task and provides a clear overview of the main trends. You successfully identified the highest and lowest categories and noted the fluctuations over the three years. However, there are some inaccuracies in the data reporting; for instance, you stated that the $25,000 to $49,999 category was the lowest, but the chart shows the $75,000 to $99,999 category was consistently lower. Additionally, the description of the $25,000 to $49,999 category as 'second' is slightly confusing given the data. To improve, ensure that your data points are cross-referenced more carefully with the visual information to avoid factual errors.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, and there is a clear progression of ideas. You use cohesive devices such as 'Overall', 'In contrast', and 'Furthermore' to link your points. However, some transitions feel slightly mechanical, and there are instances where the flow is interrupted by grammatical errors or awkward phrasing, such as 'the figure captured that the largest household number were earning'. The use of referencing is generally clear, but the paragraphing could be more balanced to ensure that the comparison of categories is more distinct and easier for the reader to follow.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'fluctuated', 'sharply', and 'classified'. However, there are several instances of word-choice errors and spelling mistakes, such as 'In contract' (instead of 'In contrast') and 'in the hole period' (instead of 'in the whole period'). These errors do not impede communication, but they do limit the precision of your writing. To reach a higher band, focus on using more precise collocations and ensure that your spelling is accurate, especially with common transition phrases.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

You attempt a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, which is good. However, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with verb tenses and subject-verb agreement, such as 'the largest household number were earning' and 'the less than $25,000 category has been risen'. There are also issues with article usage and prepositions. While these errors do not prevent the reader from understanding the main points, they occur frequently enough to impact the overall fluency of the text. Focusing on consistent tense usage and proofreading for basic agreement errors would significantly improve your score.

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

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