Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-09-11
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 compares the annual income of households in the United State of America of three years: 2007, 2011 and 2015.
Overall, it can be seen that income between $75,000-99,999 accounted for the lowest in all three years, whereas pay threshold $100,000 or more comprised the highest throughout the period. All other given income bracket relatively remained stable.
In 2007, 25 million households had pay less than $25,000 as compared to 2011, which is almost 29 million, that slightly decline minimally in 2015 and new figure was under 30 million. Moreover, roughly 22 million households who had pay between $25,000-49,999, that increased significantly in 2011 and reached at 30 million, before going to slightly decline in 2015. In contrast, around 21 million households had income of $50,000-$74,999 all over the period.
Furthermore, households who had pay between $75,000-$99,999 roughly remained, which is nearly 15 million, despite a marginally decrease in 2011. Whereas, most of the households had highest income, which is $100,000 or more. In 2007 and 2011 it lied under slightly under 30 million and peaked at roughly 34 million in 2015.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response covers the main features of the chart, including the overall trends and specific data points for the three years. However, there are some inaccuracies in the data reporting. For instance, you state that the $100,000 or more bracket was the highest throughout the period, but in 2007 and 2011, the $25,000-$49,999 and $50,000-$74,999 brackets were also significant, and the $100,000+ category was not consistently the highest in the way described. Additionally, the description of the $25,000-$49,999 category as 'increasing significantly' in 2011 is slightly overstated given the visual data. To improve, ensure that your data interpretation is precise and that you clearly distinguish between the categories.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response is organized into logical paragraphs, with an introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs. Cohesive devices such as 'Overall', 'In 2007', 'Moreover', and 'In contrast' are used to guide the reader. However, the flow is occasionally hindered by awkward phrasing, such as 'that slightly decline minimally' and 'before going to slightly decline'. These mechanical errors in linking ideas make the progression feel less smooth. To reach a higher band, focus on using a wider variety of cohesive devices more naturally and ensure that the transition between sentences is seamless rather than repetitive.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'accounted for', 'comprised', and 'marginally decrease'. However, there are several instances of awkward word choice and collocation errors, such as 'pay threshold', 'had pay less than', and 'it lied under'. These errors occasionally make the text sound unnatural. To improve, focus on learning the correct collocations for financial data (e.g., 'income bracket' instead of 'pay threshold') and ensure that you use verbs and nouns correctly in context. Expanding your range of descriptive adverbs and verbs would also help elevate your score.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that affect clarity. Examples include 'income... accounted for the lowest' (missing noun), 'that slightly decline minimally' (incorrect verb tense and redundant adverbs), and 'reached at 30 million' (incorrect preposition). While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are persistent throughout the text. To improve, pay closer attention to subject-verb agreement, correct preposition usage, and consistent tense application. Proofreading for basic sentence structure errors will help you achieve a higher band score.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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