Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-10-11

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 information about number of US households by annual income in three years 2007, 2011, and 2015.

Overall, there were significant changes in the distribution of the number of households between the three years. While the households with annual income of 50,000 to 74,999 remained the same throughout surveyed period and very fewer number of households annual income was 75,000-99,999 dollars.

In 2007, 25 million households annual salary was less than 25,000 dollars. Moreover, the yearly income of almost 27 million households was between 25,000 and 49,999 dollars. Furthermore, almost 14 million households received 50,000 to 74,999 dollars as annual income. Almost 28 million households yearly income was 100,000 dollars or more. In 2011, the number of households with yearly earnings of less than 25,000 dollars increased from 25 millions to almost 28 millions. Similarly, number households received annual income of 25,000 to 49,999 dollars was also slightly increased hits peak at 30 million. While households annual income 50,000 to 74,000 dollars remained the same, but the families with annual income 75,000-99,999 dollars decreased slightly. Also families with annual salary 100,000 or more dramatically decreased. In 2015, families with annual income less 25,000 dollars and tfrom 25,000 to 49,000 dollars decreased by almost 1 million. However, families with yearly income of 75,000 to 99,999 dollars and 100,000 or more also increased significantly

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the three years and report several relevant movements, including the rise in the under-$25,000 group by 2011 and the later increase in households earning at least $100,000. However, the overview is incomplete and partly inaccurate: the $50,000–$74,999 group stayed around 21 million, not the lowest group, and the $75,000–$99,999 category was not consistently the smallest because it was lower than some groups but not all. Several figures are assigned to the wrong income bands: in 2007, about 14.5 million belonged to the $75,000–$99,999 group, not the $50,000–$74,999 group. The final-year changes are also vague. Select the main contrasts accurately and give a clear overview of the highest and lowest categories and their trends.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and a chronological account of the data. The repeated time markers, such as “In 2007,” “In 2011,” and “In 2015,” help readers follow the sequence, and linking words such as “Moreover” and “However” show attempts to connect information. However, the progression is sometimes difficult to follow because several income groups are discussed in long, crowded sentences, and the overview does not clearly guide the later comparisons. Some links are mechanically or inaccurately used, as in “While … remained the same, but … decreased.” Grouping the figures by meaningful trends rather than listing them year by year would make the comparisons clearer and cohesion more natural.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant vocabulary for describing data, including “increased,” “decreased,” “remained the same,” and “dramatically,” and you vary “households” with “families.” This gives you enough language to communicate the general subject. However, some word choices and collocations are awkward or imprecise, such as “households annual salary,” “yearly income was,” and “hits peak.” Repetition of “annual income” and “households” also limits flexibility, while “significantly” is used without a precise comparison. Use standard chart language and accurate income-band labels, for example “the number of households earning…” and “reached a peak of approximately…”. This would make the descriptions more concise and precise.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt a mixture of simple and more complex sentences, including clauses beginning with “While” and “However,” and the overall meaning is usually recoverable. Nevertheless, grammatical control is inconsistent, particularly in sentence structure and agreement. Examples include “there were significant changes … and very fewer number,” “number households received … was also slightly increased,” and the fragment-like opening “While households annual income … remained the same.” Articles, possessives, and plural forms are often missing or incorrect, as in “25 millions” and “the number of households.” Some sentences also combine clauses without a sound grammatical connection. Practise building complete comparison sentences with a clear subject and verb, and check agreement, articles, and plural forms before finishing.

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