Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-09-29
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 given bar chart illustrates the number of households in the US by their annual earning in the three different years 2007, 2011 and 2015.
Overall, while the numbers of middle-class and upper-middle-class individuals remained almost steady throughout the given years, the numbers of lower-class, lower-middle-class, and upper-class individuals fluctuated in various ways.
It can be observed that the indiviuals whose earning is less than 25,000 dollars were 25 million in 2007, 29 million in 2011 and, 28 million in 2015 which showed the slightly fluctuated in the number of people who were lower class households with respect to salary. In contrast, the habitants whose earning is in between 25,000 dollars to 49,000 dollars were 27million in 2007, rose to 30 millionin 2011 and fallen to 28 million in 2015 which demostrated the fluctuations of the middle class people.
On the other hand, the residents whose pays are in between 50,000 dollars to 74,999 dollars were 21 million in 2007, 21 million in 2011 and 21 million in 2015 which told that the number of people remain constant.
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 addresses all parts of the task by reporting the main features and making comparisons across the three years. The overview correctly identifies general trends, though classifying income brackets as 'middle-class' or 'lower-class' introduces a social label not explicitly stated in the chart. Data points are cited with reasonable accuracy (e.g., '25 million in 2007, 29 million in 2011 and, 28 million in 2015'). However, the response cuts off abruptly after discussing the third income bracket, meaning the highest income category ($100,000 or more) is completely omitted. This leaves a notable part of the visual data unaddressed, preventing the response from reaching a higher band score.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The response features a logical overall arrangement, beginning with an introduction and an overview paragraph, followed by detailed body paragraphs. Cohesive devices are used to link ideas (e.g., 'Overall', 'It can be observed', 'In contrast', 'On the other hand'). However, referencing and cohesion become repetitive or slightly mechanical, and the abrupt ending indicates a lack of final paragraphing or concluding structure. Paragraphing is adequate at the start, but the incomplete nature of the response impacts the overall flow and organization.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully attempting less common items and descriptive phrases such as 'slightly fluctuated', 'demostrated the fluctuations', and 'remain constant'. However, there are notable word choice and spelling errors throughout, such as 'indiviuals', 'earning' instead of 'earnings', 'habitants', 'demostrated' (misspelling of demonstrated), and 'pays' used as a noun. These lexical errors and awkward collocations slightly impede precision but communication remains generally clear.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, including relative clauses and comparative structures. There are, however, frequent grammatical errors and awkward phrasing, such as 'which showed the slightly fluctuated in the number' (ungrammatical clause structure), 'whose earning is in between' (tense and preposition errors), and 'which told that the number of people remain constant' (informal and inaccurate verb agreement). Punctuation errors, such as missing commas before coordinating clauses, are also present. These errors occasionally disrupt the reading flow.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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