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 given bar chart describe the number of households in the US by their yearly income in 2007, 2011 and 2015.

Overall, the highest income bracket is ($100,000 or more) and the lowest income bracket is (25,000-$49,999) consistently represented the largest proportion of US household across three year. The middle income peoples ratio remain constant.

In 2007 and there are about 25 to 30 million number of households with ($100,000 or more) annual income in 2015 goes up with 30 to 35 million number of households. The people with ($50,000-$74,999) annual income ration remain constant in every year its about 20 million number of households. The people with ($25,000-&49,000) annual income face up and downs like in 2007 its about 26 million number of households in 2011 its goes to 30 million number of households and in 2015 its again go down to about 28 million of number of households. People with (Less than $25,000) annual income also face up and down in every year. the lowest ratio of number of households are with ($75,000-$99,999) annual income.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response provides a summary of the main features, but it lacks precision and contains factual inaccuracies. For instance, you state that the $100,000+ bracket and the $25,000-$49,999 bracket were consistently the largest, yet the chart shows the $50,000-$74,999 category also holds significant numbers. Furthermore, the description of trends is somewhat confusing; you mention 'ups and downs' for the lowest income bracket, but the data shows a relatively stable pattern. To improve, ensure you accurately report the data points and avoid generalizations that are not supported by the visual evidence. The overview is present but could be more clearly defined to highlight the most significant trends.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into an introduction and a body paragraph, but the progression of ideas is somewhat mechanical. While you use some cohesive devices, they are often repetitive or used incorrectly, such as 'in 2007 and there are' or 'in every year its about'. Paragraphing is present, but the body paragraph is quite dense and would benefit from being split to separate the different income categories. The referencing is occasionally unclear, making it difficult for the reader to follow the comparison between the years effectively. Improving the use of linking words like 'whereas', 'conversely', or 'in contrast' would enhance the flow.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is limited and repetitive. You frequently use phrases like 'number of households' and 'annual income', which could be varied with synonyms such as 'figures', 'data', 'earnings', or 'brackets'. There are also issues with word choice and collocation, such as 'middle income peoples ratio' instead of 'proportion of middle-income households' and 'face up and downs' instead of 'fluctuated'. While the meaning is generally clear, the lack of variety and the presence of errors in word formation prevent the response from reaching a higher band. Focus on using more precise terminology related to data description.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

There are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text, particularly with subject-verb agreement and article usage. Examples include 'The given bar chart describe' (should be 'describes'), 'across three year' (should be 'years'), and 'its goes to' (should be 'it went to'). The sentence structures are mostly simple, and attempts at more complex sentences often contain errors, such as 'The people with ($50,000-$74,999) annual income ration remain constant in every year its about 20 million'. These errors occasionally cause the reader to pause, though they do not completely impede communication. Increasing the variety of sentence structures and proofreading for basic tense consistency is essential.

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