Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-09-08

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 illustrates the number of households in the united states, measured in millions, across five different annual income categories in 2007, 2011 and 2015.

Overall households earning $100,000 or more experienced the most significant increase, particularly by 2015. in contrast, the number of households evening $75000-$99,999 remained unchanged throughout the period. the two lowest income group also accounted for relatively large numbers of households in all three years.

In 2007, APPROXIMATELY 25 MILLION HOUSEHOLDS EARNED LESS THAN $25000 ANNUALLY, WHILE THE FIGURE FOR THOSE EARNING $25000-$49000 WAS SLIGHTLY HIGHER, AT 27 MILLION. The number of households in the $50000-$74999 category stood at around 21 million , whereas only 14 million households earned between $75000 and $99999. At the highest income leval , there were approximately 29 million households, making this the second -largest category.

By 2011, the number of households earning less than $25000 had risen to about 29 million , while the $25000-$49999 group reached 30 million , the highest figure among the categories that year. The $50000-$74999 and $75000-$99999 grou

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response is incomplete, as it cuts off mid-sentence in the final paragraph. While you successfully identify the main trends and provide relevant data points for the first two years, the failure to complete the description of the 2011 data and the total omission of the 2015 data significantly impacts the task achievement. To reach a higher band, you must ensure all parts of the prompt are addressed, including a full summary of the final year. The overview provided is clear, but the lack of completion prevents a higher score.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay uses paragraphing to separate the introduction, overview, and body paragraphs, which is a good start. However, the abrupt ending disrupts the flow of information. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'In contrast' and 'whereas', but the mechanical nature of the writing and the incomplete final paragraph hinder the logical progression of the report. To improve, focus on ensuring that each paragraph is fully developed and that transitions between sentences are smooth and consistent throughout the entire response.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'illustrates', 'significant increase', and 'categories'. However, there are several errors in word choice and spelling, such as 'evening' instead of 'earning', 'leval' instead of 'level', and 'grou' which is incomplete. These errors, combined with the incomplete nature of the text, limit the range and precision of your vocabulary. Focusing on proofreading for spelling and ensuring accurate word choice will help improve your score in this area.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. However, there are frequent errors in punctuation and capitalization, such as the inconsistent use of capital letters in the third paragraph and missing punctuation in the final sentence. While the meaning is generally clear, these errors are noticeable. To improve, pay closer attention to sentence boundaries and basic grammatical conventions. The incomplete final sentence also prevents the demonstration of a wider range of complex structures.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

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