Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-09-20

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 charts demonstrate the number of US households in millions and their annual income for years 2007, 2011 and 2015.

Overall, the number of households with annual income of $100,000 or more remained the highest in 2007 and 2015. Hoseholds with an income of $75,000-$99,999 fluctuated marginally for the provided years. Moreover, the number of households with income between $50,000-$74,999 remained unchanged for the three years mentioned.

In 2007, approximately 30 million households attained an annual income of $100,000 or more which declined slightly in 2011. However, the income surged to the highest in 2015 with 32 million households making this amount. 14 million household generated an income of $75,000-$99,999 in 2007 which decreased slightly in 2011 and then finnally reaching to 15 million. An income of $50,000-$74,999 remained static for 21 million households.

Furthermore, the number of households with income between $25,000-$49,000 were more than households with income less than $25,000 in 2007, 2011 and 2015 respectively. In 2007 25 million households received an income of less than $25,000 which grew the most in 2011 and then again declined in 2011.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The student attempts to address all parts of the task by reporting data across the three years for various income brackets. An overview is provided, noting the highest bracket and stable trends, which satisfies basic requirements. However, there are minor factual inaccuracies when compared to the visual data. For instance, the overview incorrectly states that households earning $100,000 or more remained the highest in 2007 and 2015 (in 2007 it was closely matched or slightly below the $25,000-$49,999 bracket). Additionally, in the body paragraphs, the figure for the highest income group in 2015 is stated as '32 million' instead of approximately 33.5 million. The description of the lowest income group at the end also contains a contradictory or confusing statement ('grew the most in 2011 and then again declined in 2011'). Despite these flaws, key features and comparisons are generally covered.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The response is arranged into four paragraphs, following a logical structure with an introduction, an overview, and supporting body paragraphs. Cohesive devices are used to guide the reader, such as 'Overall', 'Moreover', and 'Furthermore'. However, referencing and cohesion occasionally become faulty or mechanical. For instance, the transition 'in 2007, 2011 and 2015 respectively' at the start of the final paragraph is misused, as it does not correspond to a clean chronological pairing. Paragraphing is present and appropriate, but the progression within the final paragraph is muddled by contradictory statements regarding the timeline.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student demonstrates an adequate vocabulary range for the task, successfully using terms such as 'fluctuated marginally', 'remained unchanged', and 'declined slightly'. However, there is a recurring spelling typo ('Hoseholds' instead of households, 'finnally' instead of finally) and some awkward word choices, such as 'attained an annual income' or 'income surged to the highest' rather than 'number of households'. Less common lexical items are attempted, but minor inaccuracies in collocation and word formation prevent the score from reaching a higher band.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The writer employs a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing relative clauses and introductory prepositional phrases ('In 2007, approximately 30 million households...'). There are several grammatical errors and awkward phrasings, such as 'number of households... were more than' (subject-verb agreement error with 'was'), and tense or preposition errors like 'reaching to 15 million'. Punctuation is generally acceptable, and while errors are present, they rarely impede overall communication, supporting a solid Band 6 performance.

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

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