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 bar graph illustrates the number of households in the United states by their annual income in millions between 2007, 2011 and 2015.

Overall,it can be clearly seen that the annual income of US householders has been increased through the years.The highest earning of the US residents was experienced in both 2007 and 2015, while the mid range earning remained steady over the period.

In 2007,25 million household earned less than $25000,while earning in the range of $25000 to $49000 was slightly higher at 27million households. Almost 20million households earned around $50000 to $74999 in the same year as compared to those earning $75000 to $99999 which was lower at 15 million households.Furthermore ,In 2011, 25 to 30 million households earned in a range between less than $25000 to $49999 which are higher than 2007 and same as in the year 2015. 27 million households Earned 1 lac dollar or more in 2011 ,however this number increased to 33million huseholds in 2015.

In contrast, earning around $75000-%99999 was remained steady between 2007,2011 and 2015,while the numbers of households with earning less than $25000 declines to 14million households in 2011 while than increaed to 15million households in 2015.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the chart’s subject and include several relevant figures, such as the 2007 totals for the lower income groups and the rise in households earning $100,000 or more by 2015. However, the overview is unclear and partly inaccurate: income itself did not generally increase, and the highest-income group was largest in 2015, not in both 2007 and 2015. Some comparisons are also misreported. The $75,000–$99,999 group did not remain steady across all three years, and the decline to 14 million in 2011 refers to this group, not households earning under $25,000. To make the report more complete, give a clear overview of the main changes and compare the five income bands accurately.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a basic structure, moving from an introduction and overview to details, and it uses linking expressions such as “Overall,” “Furthermore,” and “In contrast.” These help signal relationships between points. However, the progression is difficult to follow because several categories and years are combined in long sentences, particularly the sentence beginning “Furthermore, In 2011.” The final contrast also confuses which income group is being discussed. Paragraphing is limited, and some transitions do not accurately reflect the comparison being made. Organise the body into clearer comparisons—for example, lower and middle income groups, followed by the highest-income group—and use references that make each category unmistakable.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant chart vocabulary, including “households,” “range,” “remained steady,” and “increased,” so the reader can generally understand the topic. However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate, such as “annual income … has been increased,” “highest earning,” and “earning … was remained steady.” Spelling and formatting slips, including “huseholds” and inconsistent presentation of income figures, also reduce precision. Use standard terms such as “income band,” “number of households,” and “rose/fell,” and check that each verb describes the data rather than the people’s income. More precise vocabulary would make comparisons clearer and more natural.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response attempts some complex sentences, using clauses with “while,” “as compared to,” and “however,” but control is inconsistent. Errors occur in verb forms and agreement, for example “has been increased,” “which are higher,” and “was remained steady.” The sentence about the 2011 figures also has an unclear grammatical relationship between the subject and comparison. Punctuation and spacing are uneven, with missing spaces after commas and inconsistent capitalisation after them. These problems sometimes make it harder to identify which group a figure describes. Practise accurate past-tense reporting and subject–verb agreement, and keep comparisons in shorter, clearly structured sentences before attempting longer clauses.

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