Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-10-21

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 information about the number of households based on their annual income for 2007, 2011 and 2015 in the US.

As can be seen from the graph, the proportion of families earning $100,000 or more were highest in 2015. Conversely, in 2011 the households with the annual income of $75,000-$99,999 were the lowest while the households earning between $50,000-$74,999 were the same in all three years (2007, 2011 and 2015 respectively).

In 2007, only 25 million families were earning less than $25,000 in 2017 but a small increase can be seen in 2011 as the number reached to 28 million while the families dropped to 27 million in 2015. In contrast, 29 million families were earning $100,000 or more in 2007 which was the highest for 2007. It saw an decline as the households reached to 27 million in 2011. After that, a massive increase can be seen as the families earning $100,000 or more reached the highest which was 33 million in 2015. The household with the income of $25,000-$49,999 were 26 million in 2007. The proportion reached to 30 million in 2011 while a small decrease can be seen in 2015 as the families earning the annual income were 27 million.

On the other hand, the households having an annual income between $50,000-$74,999 had the same proportion throughout 2007, 2011 and 2015 which was 21 million. The population of Us earning $75,000-$99,999 were 14 million in 2007 while the number decreased to 13 million in 2011, a small increase can be seen in 2015 as the household reached to 15 million in

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify several relevant patterns, including the peak for households earning $100,000 or more in 2015 and the stable figure for the $50,000–$74,999 group. However, the overview is limited and partly inaccurate: the $75,000–$99,999 category was not the lowest in 2011, since the $50,000–$74,999 group was higher but the under-$25,000 and $25,000–$49,999 groups were also much larger; more importantly, the lowest category overall is not clearly identified. Some figures are misreported, such as $25,000–$49,999 in 2007 (about 27 million, not 26) and the under-$25,000 figure in 2015 (about 28 million, not 27). The response covers the chart but needs a more accurate overview and more reliable comparisons.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has a basic structure, moving from an introduction and overview to details about the income groups, and phrases such as “In contrast” and “On the other hand” signal comparisons. However, progression is not consistently clear: the second paragraph moves between income categories and years, then the final paragraph returns to two categories without a clear organising principle. Some linking phrases are repetitive or do not express a meaningful contrast, and the final sentence is cut off after “in,” leaving the last detail incomplete. Grouping the figures into clearer comparisons—for example, lower-income bands first and higher-income bands second—and completing each sentence would make the report easier to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use enough chart-related vocabulary to communicate the main information, including “increase,” “decrease,” “reached,” and “households.” There is also some attempt at variation through “massive increase” and “Conversely.” However, several choices are imprecise or repetitive: “proportion” is used for counts measured in millions, and “population of US” does not accurately describe the number of households. Phrases such as “reached to” and “saw an decline” are also unnatural collocations or word forms. Prefer precise terms such as “number,” “figure,” and “rose to,” and use neutral language such as “a marked increase” rather than “massive.” This would improve accuracy and range without sacrificing clarity.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mixture of simple and complex sentences, including clauses beginning “while” and “as,” and most of the chart’s meaning remains understandable. However, errors recur in agreement, articles, tense and sentence completion. For example, “the proportion … were highest” has a singular subject with a plural verb, while “It saw an decline” contains an article error. The phrase “the number reached to 28 million” also shows an incorrect grammatical pattern, and the final sentence is incomplete. Some long sentences combine several changes without clear punctuation, making relationships harder to track. Use shorter, controlled comparisons, check subject–verb agreement and articles, and ensure every sentence has a complete ending.

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