Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-10-14

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 illustrates the number of households in the U.S by their annual salary in between 2007,2011 and 2015.

From an overall perspective, $1miilion is being top one in households and $75,000-$99,999 is lowest number in households.

To begin with, In 2007 there are 25 miilion households who earn less than $25,000 and under 30 million who make $25,000-$49,999 around more than 10 million people hold with $75,000-$99,999 and most of household $100,000 or more in 2007 which is around nearly 29%. In upccoming years in 2011 we can see it had been change in income in all households income where below $25,000 earn around below 30 million people which increase from 2007 which add 4 milion more households. $25,000-$49,999 had alse seen change in numbers slighty high 30 million additonal 4 million whereares $50,000-$74,999 and $75,000-$99,999 remain same as in 2007 holds nearly 22 million and below 15 million in $100,000 or more can be seen change in households which decrese in 2011 to 14 million reduction of 1 million.

Furthermore, In 2015 less than $25,00 had maintain same proportion pf households like previous years while $25,000-$49,999 had declined to 1-2 million holds and $50,000-$74,999 remain stable nearly 20 million while $75,000-$99,999 little increment around 1 million and $100,000 or more had been seen gradual increase to 32 million households.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify several relevant categories and attempt to compare all three years, but the main features are not reported accurately or clearly enough. The overview says “$1miilion” is the top category, although the chart’s category is $100,000 or more; it is highest only in 2007 and 2015, while $25,000–$49,999 is highest in 2011. Several figures and trends are also misread: the $75,000–$99,999 group is about 14–15 million, not “more than 10 million people” in a useful comparison, and the $100,000-or-more group rises to about 33.5 million in 2015 rather than 32 million. Select the clearest overall trends and report the categories and values precisely.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and paragraphs moving through 2007, 2011 and 2015. This gives the reader a basic route through the information. However, progression within the long middle paragraph is difficult to follow because several categories and comparisons are packed into one sentence, and some links are unclear, as in “whereas $50,000–$74,999 and $75,000–$99,999 remain same.” Connectors such as “To begin with” and “Furthermore” help, but the repeated year-by-year pattern does not always make comparisons between categories easy to see. Grouping categories by trend—for example, those that stayed stable versus those that changed—would create clearer progression and reduce mechanical linking.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use task-relevant terms such as “households,” “income,” “increase,” “declined” and “stable,” so the reader can generally recognise the intended comparisons. However, the range is limited and several inaccurate or misspelled choices make parts difficult to interpret. “$1miilion” does not name the chart’s highest income band, while “proportion” is not suitable for describing the number of households. Phrases such as “had alse seen change in numbers slighty high 30 million” are unclear, and spelling errors including “upccoming,” “milion” and “decrese” are noticeable. Use the chart’s exact income-band labels and practise precise trend language, such as “rose to approximately” or “remained broadly unchanged.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt longer sentences and use time references to describe changes, but control is inconsistent. Errors in verb forms and sentence construction appear in examples such as “In 2007 there are 25 million households,” “it had been change,” and “$75,000–$99,999 remain same.” Some sentences combine several ideas without clear grammatical boundaries, particularly the long account of 2011, which makes relationships between figures hard to follow. Articles, agreement and punctuation also need attention; for example, “most of household” is not formed correctly, and commas are often missing after introductory phrases. Build accuracy with shorter comparison sentences first, then add subordinate clauses only when their structure is secure.

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