Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-09-06
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 graph illustrates the annual income of number of households from the specific years in US (United States).
It demonstrates in two categories, one is the yearly income of households on x-axis, and the other is the number of households; which are in millions. In the year of 2015 close to 35 million households recorded highest annual income, which was $100,000 or more than that. Whereas in 2015 exactly 15 million households had least annual income was from $75,000 to $99,999. Comparatively in the year of 2007, there were close to 30 million households, annual income recorded was $100,000 or more than that, on the other hand least annual income recoded was from $75,000 to $99,999 in more than 10 million households.
In the year of 2007, 2011 and 2015, higher annual income was from 2015, other than that in 2011 and 2007 there is not much big difference. From 2007 to 2015 more than 30 million household spiked their annual incomes to$100,000 or more than that. In all of these years the common thing is recorded was 14-15 million household annual income was only $75,000 to $99,999.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response covers the main features of the chart, identifying the highest and lowest income brackets across the three years. However, the analysis is somewhat superficial. For example, the statement that 'more than 30 million household spiked their annual incomes' is inaccurate based on the data provided, as the chart shows a more nuanced distribution. The report lacks a clear overview of the overall trends, such as the general stability in the lower-income brackets versus the growth in the highest bracket. While the key data points are mentioned, the comparison between years could be more analytical rather than just listing figures.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response is organised into paragraphs, but the logical flow is hindered by awkward phrasing and repetitive sentence structures. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'whereas' and 'on the other hand', but they are sometimes applied incorrectly or in a way that makes the progression feel mechanical. The referencing is occasionally unclear, particularly when discussing the trends between 2007 and 2015. The transition between the introduction and the body paragraphs is abrupt, and the final paragraph lacks a cohesive summary of the data, instead repeating information already presented.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the precision required for a higher band. There is a reliance on basic descriptors like 'big difference' and 'highest annual income'. Some phrasing is unnatural, such as 'spiked their annual incomes' or 'the common thing is recorded was'. There are also minor errors in word choice, such as 'least annual income was from', which should be phrased as 'the lowest income bracket'. To improve, you should focus on using more academic collocations and precise terminology related to data description.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but accuracy is inconsistent. There are frequent grammatical errors, such as missing articles ('in US'), incorrect preposition usage ('income of number of households'), and awkward syntax ('it demonstrates in two categories'). Punctuation is also problematic, particularly the use of semicolons and commas. While the meaning is generally clear, the high frequency of errors in basic sentence construction prevents the response from reaching a higher band. Focus on subject-verb agreement and correct article usage.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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