Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-10-06
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 illustrate the number of households in the US by their yearly income between 2007, 2011 and 2015
Overall, the number of households earning $100,000 or more increased siginificantly and became the largest group in 2015. In contrast, the $75,000-$99,999 group had the lowest number of households throughout the period.
In 2007, the number of households earned less than $25,000 about 25 million, while 27 million earned $25,000 and $49,999.The figure for the $50,000-$74,999 and 475,000-$99,999 grops were approximately 21 million and around 14 million respectively. Meanwhile, around 29 million hpusholds earned $100,000 or more.
In 2011, the figure for households less than $25,000 rose to about 28 million, while the $25,000-$49,999 group reached about 29 million. The figure for the next two were remain unchanged. Finally, the figure for households earned $100,000 or more was about 28 million before sharply reached at about 32 million in 2015.
In 2015, th figure for households earned less than $25,000 was slightly decreased about at 27 million.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5
The response addresses the task only partially because it contains several noticeable inaccuracies and missing information when reporting the data from the chart. For example, the student states that the figure for the $50,000-$74,999 group was '475,000-$99,999 grops', which shows data misreading and confusion. Additionally, the overview correctly identifies the trend for households earning $100,000 or more, but some of the body paragraph details are limited and under-developed. To move to a higher level, the student needs to accurately report the figures across all categories and ensure that comparisons are clearly made without factual errors in the data transcription.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The response has some organization with a basic overall structure, including a clear introduction and an overview paragraph. However, there is no clear overall progression due to mechanical and inadequate cohesive devices, such as repetitive transitions and awkward referencing like 'The figure for the next two were remain unchanged' and 'Finally, the figure for households earned'. Paragraphing is attempted, but the logical flow between sentences is frequently disrupted by awkward phrasing. To improve, the student should use a wider variety of cohesive links naturally and ensure logical transitions connect ideas smoothly from one sentence to the next.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.0
The vocabulary used is limited but minimally adequate to convey the basic message of the prompt. There are noticeable errors in word choice, word form, and spelling that cause some difficulty for the reader, such as 'siginificantly', 'hpusholds', and 'grops'. The student attempts some less common vocabulary, but inaccurate collocations and typos prevent a higher score. To reach a higher band, the student must expand their lexical range, use more precise academic vocabulary related to data trends, and eliminate spelling mistakes.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
The grammar demonstrates a limited range of structures, relying primarily on simple sentences and attempts at complex structures that are often faulty. There are frequent errors in verb forms, tense consistency, and subject-verb agreement, such as 'The chart illustrate', 'households earned' instead of 'households earning', and 'were remain unchanged'. Punctuation is also neglected in places, such as missing full stops at the end of sentences. To achieve a higher score, the student needs to demonstrate better control over complex sentence patterns and reduce the frequency of basic grammatical errors.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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