Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-07-27

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 6.5)

The bar chart below illustrates number of households in millions accounted for annual income brackets in year 2007, 2011 and 2015 in US. Bracket consists of households earning less then $25,000, $25,000-$49,000, $50,000-$74,999, $75,000-$99,999 and people earning $100,000 or above.

Overall, income of $75,000-$99,999 remained lowest in all three years for 15 number of households. While income bracket of $100,000 and above reached highest in 2015 at 34 households. Households of income below $49,999 tangled between 25 and 30. Further income of %50,000 to $49,000 stayed same throughout the years at approximately 20.

In annual income income below $25,000 was 25 households in 2007 which rose by approximately 28 in 2011 and 27 in 2015. While income bracket of $25,000 to $49,999 also saw a slight increase in years, in 2007 it accounted 26 households which rose to almost 30 in 2011 and dropped a little to 27 in 2015. Further income of $50,000 to $79,999 stayed constant at 21 households in all three years. Other then that income of $75,000 to $99,999 was significantly lower number of households at only 15 throughout years saw growth and fall which lingered aroun 15. Highest amount of households were seen in income of $100,000 or more at about 30 in 2007, near 27 in 2011 and reached its peak in 2015 at almost 33 households.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response covers all parts of the task and provides a clear overview of the main trends. You successfully identified the highest and lowest income brackets and noted the changes over the three years. However, there are some inaccuracies in the data reporting. For instance, you mention the $50,000-$74,999 bracket stayed constant at 20, but later refer to it as $50,000 to $79,999 at 21. Additionally, the phrasing '15 number of households' is imprecise; it should be '15 million households'. While the main features are highlighted, more careful attention to the specific figures provided in the chart would improve the accuracy of your summary.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized into an introduction, an overview, and a body paragraph. You use some cohesive devices such as 'Overall', 'While', and 'In addition', which help the flow of information. However, the progression within the body paragraph is slightly disjointed due to repetitive sentence structures and some awkward transitions. The referencing is occasionally unclear, such as in the sentence 'Other then that income of $75,000 to $99,999 was significantly lower', where the connection to the previous point is weak. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring smoother transitions between sentences would enhance the overall coherence.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'income brackets', 'accounted for', and 'remained lowest'. However, there are several instances of imprecise word choice and minor errors, such as 'tangled' instead of 'fluctuated' or 'ranged', and 'Other then that' instead of 'Other than that'. Some phrasing is also slightly unnatural, such as '15 number of households'. To reach a higher band, focus on using more precise collocations and ensuring that your vocabulary choices are consistently accurate and appropriate for an academic report.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. Common issues include missing articles (e.g., 'in year 2007'), incorrect prepositions, and subject-verb agreement errors (e.g., 'income... was 25 households'). There are also some punctuation and spelling errors, such as '%50,000' and 'aroun'. While the meaning is generally clear, the frequency of these errors prevents the response from reaching a higher band. Focusing on proofreading for basic grammatical accuracy and article usage will significantly improve your score.

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