Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-10-19

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 data about the number of families in the USA by their yearly income in 3 different years.

Overall, it can be seen that in 2007, almost 30 millions households were earned $100,000 or more money which was peak than other revenue. Another notable point is that in the year of 2011 and 2015 less than $25,000 and earning rate $25,000 to $49,999 were almost same number of homes.

In 2007, annual earning of citizens was highest in incomerers who earn $100,000 or more. Furthermore, approximately 14 millions residents was earn $75,000-$99,999 money.

In 2011, both less than $25,000 and between $25,000-$45,999 earnings were almost similar. In addition, only 14 millions households earned $75,000-$99,999 money.

In the year of 2015, around 33 millions families were earned $100,000 or more money while, 15 millions residents earned 75,000 to 99,999 dollars. Besides, more than 20 millions people in the USA tended to income 50,000 to 74,999 dollars.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the chart’s subject and include several relevant comparisons, especially the high-income group in 2007 and 2015 and the roughly stable $50,000–$74,999 category. However, the response only partially reports the main features: it gives little account of the overall changes across all five income bands, and the overview is unclear when it says the two lower-income groups were similar in 2011 and 2015. They were close in those years, but the key trend is that households earning $100,000 or more rose to the chart’s highest figure in 2015. There is also a factual slip: the 2011 band is $25,000–$49,999, not $25,000–$45,999. A clearer overview and more accurate, selective comparisons would strengthen the report.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and paragraphs organised by year. This makes the information generally easy to follow, and linking phrases such as “Furthermore” and “In addition” help connect details. However, the year-by-year approach leads to repetition and does not show the most useful comparisons between income groups across the period. For example, the $100,000-or-more category is mentioned for 2007 and 2015 but its 2011 dip is not integrated into a clear trend. Some links are also mechanical, with “Besides” introducing another figure without explaining its significance. Grouping categories by trend and using clearer references would improve progression.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use relevant chart vocabulary, including “bar graph,” “approximately,” “households,” and “earned,” and the income ranges are generally identifiable. However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are unnatural, sometimes making the meaning less precise. “Almost 30 millions households” uses an unsuitable plural form, while “peak than other revenue” does not express the comparison naturally. “Incomerers” is not an appropriate word, and “residents” or “people” is less precise than “households” when describing the chart’s units. Aim for accurate, repeated use of terms such as “number of households,” “income bracket,” “stood at,” and “rose to,” rather than varying wording in ways that obscure the data.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mix of simple statements and longer sentences, and the overall meaning is usually recoverable. However, errors in verb forms, agreement, and sentence construction occur in several places. For example, “households were earned” should use a construction such as “households earned” or “the figure was,” and “14 millions residents was earn” has problems with both agreement and verb form. The sentence beginning “Another notable point is that in the year of 2011 and 2015…” is also difficult to control because its subject and comparison are not clearly structured. Use straightforward patterns such as “The figure for X was…” and check singular/plural agreement and tense consistency before adding more complex clauses.

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