Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-09-05
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 exhibits data about how families in the United States of America consume their annual salary by number of households in 2007, 2011 and 2015.
Overall, there are significant changes in spending patterns that occurred in 2007, 2011 and 2015, with noticeable changes in the categories of number of households.
The lower class families, whose income is less than $25000, spent 25 million number of households in 2007 while, in 2011 and 2015, this figure increased steadily and to approximately less than 30 million. In contrast, the middle class families in the US utilized approximately less than 30 million households in 2007, 2011 and 2015.
Regarding the higher-upper class families, they spent approximately less than 15 million number of households according to their annual income in 2007, 2011 and 2015. With regards to higher class families, the number of households was almost the same in averaging below 25 million in the years 2007, 2011 and 2015. Regarding the elite class families, they spent less than 30 million in the years of 2007 and 2011 while, in contrast it increased up to 33 million in the year of 2015.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The response attempts to summarize the data but fails to accurately interpret the chart. You have misinterpreted the data labels, repeatedly stating that households 'consume their annual salary' or 'utilized households', which is factually incorrect based on the provided chart showing the number of households by income bracket. Furthermore, the descriptions of the trends are vague and repetitive (e.g., 'approximately less than 30 million' is used for multiple categories). To improve, you must focus on accurately reporting the specific figures provided in the chart and identifying the key trends, such as the growth or decline in specific income brackets over the three years, rather than using generic descriptions.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organized into paragraphs, but the logical progression is hindered by the inaccurate interpretation of the data. While you use some cohesive devices like 'Overall', 'In contrast', and 'Regarding', they are often used to link statements that are factually confusing or repetitive. The paragraphing is present, but the internal structure of the paragraphs lacks a clear focus, as you jump between categories without a logical grouping strategy. To reach a higher band, ensure that each paragraph has a clear theme, such as grouping categories by their trend (e.g., those that increased vs. those that remained stable).
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary is quite limited and often misused. Phrases like 'consume their annual salary by number of households' and 'utilized approximately less than 30 million households' demonstrate a lack of understanding of the data labels, which negatively impacts your score. You rely on repetitive phrasing such as 'number of households' and 'families' throughout the text. To improve, you should use more precise terminology related to data description, such as 'income brackets', 'fluctuated', 'remained stable', or 'experienced a marginal increase', and ensure that your word choices accurately reflect the information presented in the chart.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response contains a mix of simple and some complex sentence structures. However, there are frequent grammatical errors, such as 'spent 25 million number of households' and 'in the years of 2007 and 2011'. The phrasing 'in averaging below 25 million' is also grammatically awkward. While these errors do not completely prevent the reader from understanding the general intent, they are frequent enough to impede the flow of the writing. To improve, focus on subject-verb agreement and the correct use of prepositions when describing data points and time periods.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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