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 hogseholds in [redacted phone] 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 graph by stating that households 'consume their annual salary' and 'spent' a number of households, which is factually incorrect as the chart displays the number of households within specific income brackets. Furthermore, the descriptions of the trends are vague and repetitive, using phrases like 'approximately less than' which lacks precision. While you have identified some categories, the lack of accurate data reporting and the misunderstanding of the chart's core subject matter significantly hinder the task achievement.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organized into paragraphs, which is a positive step. However, the logical progression is weak because the information is presented in a repetitive manner. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'In contrast' and 'Regarding', but they are often used mechanically or to introduce information that is not clearly linked to the previous point. The referencing is sometimes confusing, particularly when discussing the different income groups, making it difficult for the reader to follow the comparison between the years.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary is quite limited and repetitive. You frequently use the phrase 'number of households' and 'families' in a way that does not fit the context of the data. There are also errors in word choice, such as 'hogseholds' (a spelling error) and the misuse of 'consume their annual salary' to describe a demographic chart. To improve, you need to use a wider range of vocabulary related to data description, such as 'fluctuate', 'remain stable', or 'account for', and ensure that your terminology accurately reflects the data provided.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response uses a mix of simple and some complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors. For example, 'this figure increased steadily and to approximately less than 30 million' is awkward and grammatically incorrect. There are also issues with punctuation, such as missing spaces after periods (e.g., '2007.2011'). While the meaning is generally discernible, the frequency of errors in sentence construction and punctuation prevents the response from reaching a higher band. You should focus on subject-verb agreement and clearer sentence structure.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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