Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-10-10
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 provided bar chart illustrates data about number of households in millions in the US by their yearly salary in 2007,2011 and 2015.
Overall, it can be observed that second highest earners and the highest earners have the least and the most number of houses respectively over the period. The second least earning individuals have the second most number of houses.
To begin with, people whose annual income is from 75k to 99.99k have almost the same amount of households throught which are approximately 14 million which is the least. Following this, individuals with yearly salary ranging from 50k to 74.99k have the second least number of houses which are also almost same with 21million.
The most householders are also the most earners with 100k or more annual salary and number of homes fluctuated between 27 million to 33 million. The number of households increased for those who earn the least throught the period and the number went from 25 million to about 27 million. 25k to 49,9 k
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0
You identify several relevant patterns, including the near-stability of the $50,000–$74,999 group and the rise in households earning $100,000 or more by 2015. However, the overview is partly inaccurate: the $75,000–$99,999 group is the smallest, not the second-highest earners having the fewest households, and the $100,000+ group is not consistently the largest because it falls below the $25,000–$49,999 group in 2011. Some figures are also incomplete or imprecise: the lowest-income group rises to about 28 million in 2015, rather than about 27 million, and the final sentence about the $25,000–$49,999 group is unfinished. Select the main comparisons accurately and report changes across all five categories.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0
The response has a basic paragraph structure, moving from an introduction and overview to details about income groups. Phrases such as “To begin with” and “Following this” help signal sequence. However, progression is limited because the categories are not consistently compared, and the final paragraph shifts between the highest- and lowest-income groups before ending with the incomplete fragment “25k to 49,9 k”. This leaves an important category without a clear report and weakens the overall flow. Some linking is also mechanical, while references such as “second highest earners” and “second least earning individuals” make the intended groups harder to follow. Organise the details into clear comparisons and ensure each paragraph and sentence is complete.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
You use some relevant chart vocabulary, including “fluctuated,” “annual salary,” and “number of households,” so the main subject is generally understandable. However, the range is limited and several choices are imprecise or repetitive. “Houses,” “homes,” and “householders” are used where the chart counts households, not buildings or people; “second highest earners” also confuses income ranking with the number of households. Informal shorthand such as “75k” and “99.99k” is less suitable for an academic report, and “throught” is misspelled. Use the chart’s income bands consistently and choose precise terms for quantities and trends. This would make the comparisons clearer and more appropriately formal.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
The response includes both simple statements and some longer constructions, for example, “people whose annual income is from 75k to 99.99k have almost the same amount of households.” However, grammatical control is uneven. The opening phrase “data about number of households” is missing an article, and “the least and the most number” has an awkward construction. Agreement is also inconsistent in “the second least number of houses which are also almost same.” Punctuation and spacing are unreliable, as in “2007,2011 and 2015,” and the final fragment is not a complete sentence. These issues do not prevent the reader from understanding the general topic, but they make several comparisons difficult to interpret. Practise accurate comparative structures and check sentence completeness.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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