Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-09-03
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 provided in the given bar graph illustrates the number of families and their year wise budget in three distinct years: 2007, 2011, and 2015 In the United State's.
Overall, it is quite evident from the given bar chart that the annual income of the United State families are fluctuated between 15 and 27 million. Furthermore, in the last presented year most of the householders increased his year wise budget as compared to the previous years.
In 2007, there are 25 million individuals whose annual income is less than 25,000$, while nearly 27 million have 25,000$ to 49,000$. Conversely, about 20 million people earn between 50,000$ and 74,000$, while only 14 million annual income has 75,000$ to 99,999$. In stark contrast, 100,000$ or more has a significant amount for about 29 million of individuals.
In 2011, both 25,000$ or lower and from 25,000$ to 49,000$ has the annual income of 28 and 29 million people earning, respectively. While the households whose annual income is between 50,000$ to 99,999$ has show no changes. Whereas the 100,000$ or above experienced a marginal decline about 27 million individuals.
In 2015, individuals whose annual income is lower than 25,000$ and not greater than 49,000$ has maintain the same level just like the previous year. Moreover, people whose annual budget is not less than 50,000$ and no more than 99,999$ is minimally increased up to 21 and 15 million. However, individuals whose yearly income is 100,000$ or more is significantly rise at 36 million.
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
You have successfully identified the main trends and provided data to support your points. You covered all three years and categorized the income brackets effectively. However, there are some inaccuracies in the data reporting; for instance, you mention '100,000$ or more' as 29 million in 2007, whereas the chart shows a different figure. Additionally, the overview is slightly confusing, as you describe the income as 'fluctuating between 15 and 27 million,' which does not accurately reflect the total number of households across all categories. To improve, ensure you double-check the data points against the visual aid and provide a more precise summary of the overall trends.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response is organized into logical paragraphs, with each year receiving its own section. You use some cohesive devices such as 'Furthermore,' 'Conversely,' and 'In stark contrast' to link ideas. However, the flow is occasionally hindered by awkward phrasing and repetitive sentence structures. The referencing is sometimes unclear, particularly when you refer to 'the last presented year' or 'the previous years' without explicitly naming them. To reach a higher band, focus on using a wider variety of linking words and ensure that your transitions between sentences are smoother and more natural.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
You have a sufficient range of vocabulary to convey the information, using terms like 'fluctuated,' 'marginal decline,' and 'significantly rise.' However, there are several word choice errors and awkward collocations, such as 'year wise budget' (instead of 'annual income') and 'householders increased his year wise budget' (which is grammatically incorrect and imprecise). The use of 'has maintain' and 'is significantly rise' also indicates a lack of precision in verb forms. Expanding your vocabulary to include more precise reporting verbs and nouns related to data analysis would enhance your score.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
Your writing shows a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. Subject-verb agreement is a recurring issue, such as 'annual income... are fluctuated' and 'both... has the annual income.' You also struggle with tense consistency and pluralization, for example, '29 million of individuals' and 'is maintain the same level.' While you attempt complex sentences, the errors in basic grammar and punctuation are noticeable. Focusing on proofreading for subject-verb agreement and correct verb tenses will significantly improve your accuracy.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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