Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-09-26
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 number of families in US by their annual income between 2007, 2011 and 2015.
Overall, it is clear that, the number of low-income families stood aproximately same over the period, while the figure for the highest-income households remained highest, except in 2011 where it decreased. In contrast, the remaining groups have the same income throughout the period, with minor fluctuations.
To begin with, highest-income families accounted for around $30 million by 2007, this figure slightly declined and reached to 27 million in 2011. Consequently, this figure peaked at just under 35 million by 2015. Furthermore, the number of families with an annual income under $ 50,000 was remained second-largest over the period, 25 million by 2007, just below 30 million by 2011, then slightly declined to 34 million in 2015.
Meanwhile, the families with annual income around $50,000 to $99,999, remains stable over the period,around 15 to 20 million, with small fluctuation in 2011.Whereas, the number of household with income under $50,000 increased gradually but the striking one was the $[redacted phone] group 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 student attempts to cover the main features of the bar chart comparing US households by income across the three specified years. An overview is provided, noting general trends among the highest- and lowest-income groups. However, there are significant factual and data errors in the body paragraphs. For instance, the student states that families with an annual income under $50,000 declined to '34 million in 2015', which directly contradicts the visual data and confuses units with millions/dollars (the group was around 28 million, and 34 million actually refers to the over-$100,000 group). Furthermore, currency signs are misused (e.g., 'around $30 million'). While all parts of the prompt are addressed, the data misreporting limits the overall task achievement.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The response is divided into logical paragraphs, beginning with an introduction and overview, followed by body paragraphs detailing the categories. Cohesive devices such as 'Overall', 'To begin with', 'Meanwhile', and 'In contrast' are employed to structure the text, though some transitions feel forced or mechanically applied. Referencing is occasionally unclear, as seen in the phrasing 'the remaining groups have the same income throughout the period'. Paragraphing is present and generally appropriate, but the logical progression within the body paragraphs is disrupted by confusing data integration and contradictory statements.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The student attempts a range of vocabulary relevant to describing statistical charts, such as 'fluctuations', 'declined', 'peaked', and 'stable'. However, there are numerous lexical and collocation inaccuracies, such as using 'families' interchangeably with 'households', misusing currency units (e.g., 'accounted for around $30 million'), and word-form errors like 'aproximately' and 'fluctuation' used incorrectly in plural/singular contexts. The vocabulary is adequate to convey a general meaning, but recurring errors in word choice and precision prevent it from reaching a higher band.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as introductory subordinate clauses ('while the figure for...'). However, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly regarding verb tenses and passive/active voice confusion (e.g., 'was remained second-largest', 'remains stable', 'the number of household with income... increased'). Punctuation and spacing errors also appear throughout the text (e.g., missing spaces after commas and around dollar signs). These errors occasionally impede smooth reading, placing the performance firmly in the band 5.5 range.
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