Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-09-12
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 number of US households based on their annual sallary in 2007, 2011, and 2015.
Overall, over the given period, Income below $25,000 to $49,999 and $100,000 experienced a fluctuation, while Income range between $50,000 and $99,999 saw no notable changes.
Looking at the details, US household that had salary below $25,000 started at about 25 milion in 2007. After displaying a minor increase to 28 million in 2011, the trend showed a slight drop to approximately 27 million in 2015. Household with $25,000 - $49,000 mirrored a similar pattern; having started at 26 million in 2007, incerased a bit in 2011 and result in 27,5 million by the end of the period. In contrast, over $100,000 group stood at just below 30 million in 2007, followed by a noticable drop in 2011 to a low of 26 million, before recovered to reach a peak of 33 million in the final year.
Regarding households with $50,000-$74,999 and $75,000-$99,999 income, both only saw slight alterations in the numbers, with $50,000-$74,999 group hovered between 21 and 20,5 million, whereas $75,000-$99,999 from 14 to 15 million.
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 student successfully covers all parts of the task by selecting and reporting the main features of the US household income chart for the years 2007, 2011, and 2015. An adequate overall trend is provided, pointing out fluctuations and stability across different brackets. Key data points, such as the initial and final figures for various income groups (e.g., 25 million in 2007 for the lowest bracket and peaking at 33 million for the highest), are accurately cited and compared. While some of the descriptive phrasing is slightly clumsy, the main features are clearly outlined, fulfilling the requirements for a Band 6.5 or solid Band 6 descriptor profile.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response is logically organized with a clear introduction, an overall summary paragraph, and body paragraphs dedicated to specific data categories. Cohesive devices are used to connect ideas, such as "Overall, over the given period," "Looking at the details," and "In contrast." However, some transitional phrases feel mechanical, and referencing is occasionally imprecise, such as awkward transitions between sentences in the third paragraph. Paragraphing is used appropriately to group related income categories, ensuring the overall arrangement is coherent, earning a Band 6.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully using terms such as "fluctuation," "minor increase," "mirrored a similar pattern," and "peak." However, there are several noticeable spelling and word choice errors, including "sallary" instead of salary, "milion" instead of million, "incerased," "noticable," and "recovered" where "recovering" or "recovered" grammatically clashes with the preceding structure. Less common vocabulary is attempted with some inaccuracy, placing this performance at a Band 6 level.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing subordinate clauses and comparative structures. However, grammatical inaccuracies are frequent throughout the text. Examples include missing articles or pluralization issues like "US household that had salary" and "over $100,000 group," as well as awkward verb structures such as "result in 27,5 million" and "with $50,000-$74,999 group hovered." While these errors do not impede overall communication, they prevent the text from achieving a higher band, making Band 5.5 or 6 appropriate.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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