Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-10-09

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 PROVIDES INFORMATION ABOUT THE NUMBER OF HOUSEHOLDS IN THE US BY THEIR ANNUAL INCOME IN 2007,20011, AND 2015.

OVERALL, THE NUMBER OF FAMILIES FLUCTUATED THROUGHOUT THE PERIOD. HOWEVER, THE HIGHEST INCOME GROUP AND THE LOWEST INCOME GROUP HAD THE HIGHEST NUMBER OF HOUSEHOLDS.

SPECIFICALLY, THE HIGHEST INCOME GROUP HAD THE HIGHEST NUMBER OF HOUSEHOLDS, WHICH ACCOUNTED FOR AROUND 30 MILLION. IN CONTRAST, THE $75,000-$99,999 GROUP HAD THE LOWEST FIGURE, AT APPROXIMATELY 15 MILLION. THE REMAINING EARNING

GROUPS, LESS THEN $25,000 AND $25,000-$49,999 HAD AROUND 25 -28 MILLION HOUSEHOLDS.

IN 2011, LESS THAN $25,000 AND $25,000-$49,999 EARNING GROUP HAD THE HIGHEST NUMBER OF HOUSEHOLDS, AT AROUND 29-30 MILLION. WHILE, THE $75,000-$99,999 GROUP HAD THE LOWEST FIGURE, WHICH ACCOUNTED FOR APPROXIMATELY 15 MILLION. THE REMAINING GROUPS, $50,000-$ 74,999 AND $100,000 OR MORE HAD AROUND 21 MILLION AND 27 MILLION HOUSEHOLDS RESPECTIVELY.

IN 2015, THE NUMBER OF HOUSEHOLDS FOR $100,000 OR MORE INCOME GROUP REACHED 33 MILLION. THE NUMBER FOR THE OTHER INCOME GROUPS CHANGED SLIGHTLY.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the chart’s subject and include an overview, noting that the highest- and lowest-income groups are among the largest and smallest categories. You also report several relevant figures, such as about 29–30 million households in the two lower-income groups in 2011 and roughly 33 million in the $100,000-or-more group in 2015. However, the overview is imprecise: the highest-income group was not consistently the largest, and the $50,000–$74,999 group remained stable at about 21 million. The opening comparison also lacks a clear year reference, while the 2015 changes are only broadly described. Select the main trends more accurately and compare the three years explicitly.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and paragraphs describing figures for different years. This makes the information reasonably easy to follow. However, the progression is not fully effective because the first detail paragraph gives figures without identifying the year, then the next paragraph returns to 2011, and the final paragraph gives only a brief account of 2015. Cohesive links such as “In contrast” and “respectively” are useful, but “While” begins a fragment after a full stop, and repeated references to “the highest number of households” make the account feel mechanical. Organise the details consistently by year or income group and use clearer comparisons to connect the data.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant chart vocabulary, including “income group,” “households,” “accounted for,” and “approximately,” so the main information is generally understandable. However, the range is limited and some choices are inaccurate or awkward. “Families” is not as precise as “households” for this chart, and “earning group” is an unnatural label. There are also spelling and form errors, including “less then” for “less than,” while the repeated use of “number,” “group,” and “highest” limits variety. Use accurate category labels consistently and choose a few precise verbs for describing change, such as “rose,” “remained stable,” or “declined.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt some complex sentence forms, including “which accounted for…” and a comparison introduced by “In contrast,” and most of the intended meaning can be understood. However, the range is limited, and errors recur in sentence construction and agreement. For example, “Less than $25,000 and $25,000–$49,999 earning group had” needs a plural subject and a more complete noun phrase. “While, the $75,000–$99,999 group…” is an incomplete sentence, and the comma after “While” is misplaced. The opening also has inconsistent spacing and punctuation around the years. Practise forming complete comparison sentences and check subject–verb agreement, clause boundaries, and punctuation.

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