Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-10-16

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 given bar graph illustrates the number of folks in the US by their earning in 2007,2011 and 2015.

Almost 25 million households were counted having less than $25000 yearly in 2007 which was slightly increased in next two years.However, citizens having $100,000 or more were approximately at 29 million in 2007, which were declined to 27 miilion in 2011 and then it rapidly increased to 33 million in 2015.

Families having $25,000 to $49,999 were at 27 million which was inclined to 29 million in 2011 and then decreased a little bit to 28 million in 2015. However, households having $50,000 to $74,999 were almost 21 million in all three years. While, people having $75,000 to $99,999 were at 14 million in the start but ended with 15 million in 2025.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.0

You report several relevant figures and trends, including the rise in households earning $100,000 or more by 2015 and the stable figure for the $50,000–$74,999 group. However, the response only minimally fulfils the task: it has no clear overview of the chart’s main features, and most categories receive only brief, isolated comments. The final year for the $75,000–$99,999 group is given as 2025, although the chart shows 2015. The response also contains 132 words, below the required 150, which limits the opportunity to select and compare the key information. Add an overview and develop accurate comparisons across all three years.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The information is arranged in a generally understandable sequence, with each sentence focusing on an income group, and linking words such as “However” and “While” help signal relationships. This gives the response an overall arrangement, but the progression is not fully controlled: there is no introductory overview to guide the reader, and the categories are presented as separate observations rather than grouped into meaningful comparisons. Some transitions are also awkward, particularly “While” at the start of a sentence that does not complete a clear contrast. Organise the report into an introduction, an overview, and detail paragraphs that compare related income bands. Use linking expressions selectively and make each comparison explicit.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use enough chart-related vocabulary to communicate the general subject, including “increased,” “declined,” and “decreased.” However, several choices are imprecise or too informal for an academic report: “folks” and “citizens” do not accurately describe the chart’s unit, which is households, while “earning” is less suitable than “income.” Some trend language is also awkward, as in “was inclined to 29 million”; “rose” or “increased” would be more natural. Spelling errors such as “miilion” further reduce accuracy. Aim for precise, consistent terms such as “households” and “income group,” and use standard verbs for describing changes.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response includes both simple statements and some attempts at more complex sentences, for example, “However, citizens having $100,000 or more were approximately at 29 million in 2007, which were declined…” This shows an effort to connect information, but some grammatical choices are inaccurate: “which were declined” has an incorrect verb construction, and “households … were at 27 million which was inclined” has unclear clause structure. Punctuation and spacing are also inconsistent, with missing spaces after commas and full stops. These issues do not usually prevent the reader from understanding the figures, but they make the report less controlled. Practise accurate past-tense comparisons and use shorter, well-formed sentences alongside complex ones.

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