Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-10-30

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 total number of residents in the US by their yearly income in the years 2007, 2011 and 2015. Overall, the most rises in the annual income can be seen in the year 2015 while the most lows can be noticed in the year 2007.

First, we can observe rise in 2015 households' income of 100,000 and more by over almost 33%, while the income of 50,000- 74,999 remains the same in all the years with above 20% and some minor fluctuation can be notice in the income of household with 75,000-99,999 throughout the years.

Further the income of year 2007 in category of 25,000-49,999 is lowest of all the years with just above 25%, and year 2011 with highest reaching almost 30%. the less than 25,000 sits at top with year 2011 with almost reaching 30% following it the year 2015 by around 27% and in the end year 2007 with reaching 25%.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify several relevant patterns, including the stability of the $50,000–$74,999 group and the rise in households earning $100,000 or more by 2015. However, the overview is unclear and sometimes inaccurate: “the most rises in the annual income” does not clearly describe household numbers, and 2007 was not uniformly the year with the lowest figures. The chart reports households in millions, but the response repeatedly describes values as percentages, such as “over almost 33%” and “above 20%.” Some comparisons are also incomplete: the highest-income group fell in 2011 before reaching its peak in 2015. Select the main trends, report the units accurately, and give a clear overview of the largest and most stable categories.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has an identifiable structure: an opening overview followed by two paragraphs discussing groups of income categories. Sequencing words such as “First” and “Further” help signal movement between points. However, progression within the paragraphs is not always clear, and some comparisons are crowded into long sentences. For example, the sentence beginning “the less than 25,000 sits at top” moves through all three years without clear punctuation or a consistent comparison pattern. The overview also does not prepare the reader for the details that follow. Organise the body by meaningful trends, use clear topic sentences, and connect each figure directly to its category and year.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some task-relevant vocabulary, including “category,” “remains the same,” and “minor fluctuation,” and the income bands are generally recognisable. However, word choice and collocation are often imprecise, which makes the data harder to interpret. “Total number of residents” is inaccurate because the chart counts households, while “most rises in the annual income” does not express the intended trend clearly. Repeated use of “income” also blurs the distinction between income bands and the number of households in each band. Use precise chart language such as “households,” “number,” “increased,” and “accounted for,” and describe the units as millions rather than percentages.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response attempts a range of sentence forms, including an overview sentence and longer comparisons using “while” and “following.” However, control is inconsistent, and errors in sentence construction and punctuation sometimes make relationships between ideas unclear. For example, “the income of 50,000- 74,999 remains the same” lacks a clear grammatical subject, and “the less than 25,000 sits at top with year 2011 with almost reaching 30%” is difficult to parse. There are also missing articles and awkward noun phrases, as in “observe rise” and “income of household.” Use complete, direct sentences with households as the subject, check articles and agreement, and punctuate comparisons so each year’s figure is easy to follow.

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