Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-10-07

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 illustrates the numerical value of households in the United States by their yearly income in different years 2007, 2011 and 2015. The chart express the details of numerous households across the annual income in different five categories.

Overall, the number of households earning $100,000 or more fluctuated most than others. It falling slightly in 2011 before rising in 2015 where as number of household earning category $50,000-$74,999 shows gradual decline.

In 2007, group of 25 millions earned less than $25,000 while around 27 millions earned $25,000-$49-499 category. In chart around 20 millions earned between $50,000-$74,999 where as the category of around 14 millions earned $75,000-$99,999. In contrast highest numbers of households around 29 millions earned $100,000 or more.

In 2011, group of around 27 millions earned less than $25,000 while highest group of 30 millions earned $25,000-$49,000. In the figure group around 22 millions earned $50,000-$74,000. The lowest group around 13 millions earned $75,000-$99,999 and group of around 27 millions earned $100,000 or more.

Same as In 2015, first four categories of households against annual income shows not much difference from year 2007 and 2011. but the highest jump shows the in group of around 33 millions earned $100,000 or more.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the chart’s subject and cover all three years, with relevant figures for each income group. The overview also attempts to highlight the main patterns, especially the rise in households earning $100,000 or more by 2015. However, it misstates the $50,000–$74,999 group as declining; this category remains at about 21 million throughout. Some figures are also inaccurate: for example, the $75,000–$99,999 group is about 14.5 million in 2007 and 15 million in 2015, rather than around 14 and 13 million respectively. The 2015 discussion is particularly general and does not report the changes in the other categories. A more accurate overview and clearer comparisons across years would strengthen the report.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction, an overview, and separate paragraphs for 2007, 2011 and 2015. This makes the information reasonably easy to follow. However, organising the details year by year leads to repeated descriptions of individual groups and limits direct comparison between years. Linking phrases such as “In contrast” and “In 2011” help, but some connections are mechanical or unclear; for example, “Same as In 2015” does not clearly show how the figures compare. The overview also contains a trend claim that conflicts with the data, weakening the progression of ideas. Grouping categories with similar patterns and using clearer comparisons would make the organisation more cohesive.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant chart vocabulary, including “category,” “fluctuated,” “gradual decline” and “highest jump,” and the income bands are generally identifiable. However, several expressions are imprecise or unnatural, such as “numerical value of households,” “the chart express the details,” and “highest jump shows the in group.” There are also inconsistent or inaccurate ways of writing the income ranges, including “$25,000-$49-499” and “$25,000-$49,000,” which can make the data harder to interpret. Some repetition of “group” and “around” also limits variety. Aim for precise reporting language such as “the number of households,” “stood at,” and “rose to,” while reproducing each income band consistently.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response attempts both simple and more complex sentences, including comparisons introduced by “while” and “whereas.” However, errors in verb forms, agreement, articles and sentence construction occur in several places. For example, “The chart express” should be “The chart expresses,” and “It falling slightly” needs a finite verb, such as “It fell slightly.” In “the number of household … shows,” the singular/plural forms do not agree, while “group of 25 millions earned” has problems with articles and number. The final sentence beginning “Same as In 2015” is also not a complete, well-formed comparison. These errors sometimes make the relationships between figures less clear. Check subject–verb agreement and build complete sentences around each comparison.

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