Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-09-15

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 chart below depicts the amount of households in the US by their yearly income in 2007, 2011 and 2015.

Overall, it can be observed that less than $25,000 and $25,000-$49,000 were among the highest percentage of income throughout the years, whereas $100,000 or less represented the lowest proportion of income.

During 2007, less than $25,000 reached its peak of yearly income with right under 30 million, whereas households earning between $75,000 and $99,999 remained bottomed out. In 2011, the highest number of yearly income was between $25,000 and $49,999 with a peaked of 30 million, followed by less than $25,000 with approximately 28 million during the mentioned year.

Finally, $100,000 or more annual income was by far the highest amount throughout the years with approximately 33 million of households. By contrast, yearly incomes between $75,000 and $99,999 represented the lowest proportion of US households, accounting to 15 million.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response makes a clear attempt to address the prompt by summarizing the main features of the US household income chart for the years 2007, 2011, and 2015. However, there are notable factual inaccuracies and misinterpretations of the data. For instance, the student states that '$100,000 or less represented the lowest proportion of income' in the overview, which is confused, as '$100,000 or more' is actually a high-income bracket, and the lowest categories were typically around $75,000 to $99,999. Furthermore, some data points are misread (e.g., claiming households earning between $75,000 and $99,999 'remained bottomed out' in 2007 when they were actually higher than that in other contexts, and general confusion over income brackets). Additionally, the response falls just short of the minimum 150-word requirement at 149 words, which results in a penalty under Task Achievement. Consequently, the task is only partially addressed.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The response is organized into four paragraphs, including a brief introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs detailing specific years. There is a basic attempt at logical progression using cohesive devices such as 'Overall', 'During 2007', 'In 2011', and 'Finally'. However, paragraphing and referencing are sometimes faulty due to confusing data interpretation. For example, the transition between years and income brackets feels abrupt, and referencing phrases like 'during the mentioned year' or contrasting points lack seamless integration. Cohesion is at times mechanical, but an overall structure is discernible, placing it solidly at a band 6 level.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student demonstrates an adequate vocabulary for the task, attempting functional phrases such as 'depicts the amount of households', 'highest percentage of income', 'reached its peak', and 'represented the lowest proportion'. However, there are notable lexical inaccuracies and awkward collocations. For example, using 'amount of households' instead of 'number of households' is incorrect, and phrases like 'a peaked of 30 million' contain grammatical/lexical blending errors. The range is sufficient to convey basic information about the chart, but word choice errors and confusions regarding income categories prevent the score from reaching a higher band.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The writer uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as 'Overall, it can be observed that less than $25,000 and $25,000-$49,000 were among the highest percentage...'. However, grammatical control is inconsistent. There are errors such as 'a peaked of 30 million' (instead of 'a peak of') and 'accounting to 15 million' (instead of 'accounting for 15 million'). Despite these errors, the sentences generally remain understandable and do not seriously impede communication, justifying a band 6 for grammatical range and accuracy.

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

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