Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-09-19
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 yearly income of distinguish families in 2007, 2011 and 2015.
The chart explains the economic conditions where majority of the families are either earning a lot or being able to meet their daily expenses. Greater than 25 million people earn $100,000 or more and less than $49,999 targeting 3 major income segments. The yearly income of people earning $50,000 to $99,999 remains unchanged during these years showing similar amount of households with same number of annual income.
Families earning less than $25000 remained between 25 million to 30 million, reaching the highest in 2011 by 28 million before some individuals started earning well in 2015 that was around 27 million. The lower middle class sector earning $25000 to $49,999 on yearly basis also lies between 25 to 30 million people. Nearly 26 million people lied in this category in 2007 that increased to 30 million in 2011, after which it dropped to almost 28 million in 2015. Many families belonged to the highest earning sector, in 2007 nearly 29 million people earned $100,000 or more that dropped around 27 million people earning the same amount in 2011 but a massive increase can be seen in 2015 where almost 24 million people were earning the most. Rest of the income categories remained same during all three years reflecting how the middle class families were unable to change their standards of living.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The student makes several notable errors in data interpretation and figures. For instance, the text states that in 2015 the highest earning sector had 'almost 24 million people,' whereas the chart shows 33.5 million. Furthermore, the overview contains vague personal commentary ('earning a lot or being able to meet their daily expenses') rather than a clear summary of main trends. While the student attempts to report most categories and makes some correct comparisons (such as noting the stability of the $50,000–$74,999 bracket), the factual inaccuracies in reading the bar chart significantly undermine the task response.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0
The essay is divided into an introduction and two body paragraphs, providing a basic structural framework. However, the logical progression is frequently disrupted by imprecise referencing and abrupt shifts between ideas. Cohesive devices are used, but sometimes mechanically or incorrectly, such as 'after which it dropped' without a clear antecedent relationship in sentence structure. Paragraphing is attempted, but the grouping of data within the third paragraph becomes a dense block of mixed information that is difficult for the reader to follow smoothly.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The student attempts a range of vocabulary relating to economic levels, such as 'lower middle class sector' and 'annual income.' However, there are numerous lexical errors, awkward collocations, and incorrect word choices, such as 'distinguish families' (instead of distinguished or different), 'targetting 3 major income segments,' and 'same number of annual income.' Spelling is generally acceptable, but the misuse of vocabulary limits precision and occasionally causes confusion for the reader.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The student uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but control over grammar is inconsistent. There are several noticeable errors, such as 'where majority of the families' (missing article), 'earning $50,000 to $99,999 remains unchanged' (subject-verb agreement/tense issues), and 'people lied in this category' (incorrect verb form for lay/lie). Punctuation is basic, and while communication is not entirely impeded, the frequency of grammatical slips prevents the response from reaching a higher band.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.