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 given below illustrates the number of households in the US in five annual income categories in 2007,2011, and 2015.

Overall, the number of households earning $100,000 or more increased noticeably by 2015, while the figures for the middle-income groups remained relatively stable. In addition, the $75,000-$99,999 category was the smallest throughout the period.

First of all, in 2007 around 25 million households earned less than $25000, while approximately 28 million were in the $25000-$49,000 group. THE FIGURES FOR THE $50,000-$74,999 and $75,000-$99,999 categories were about 21 million and 14 million, respectively. Meanwhile, nearly 29 million household earned $100,000 or more.

Moreover, in 2011 the number of households earned below than $25,000 rose to about 28 million, whereas the $100,000 or more group fell slightly to 27 million. By 2015, the number of households earned the highest income to approximately 30 million becoming the largest group.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response provides a clear overview of the main trends and selects relevant data points to support the summary. However, the response is slightly under the 150-word minimum, which impacts the overall task completion. While the main features are identified, the analysis of the 2011 and 2015 data is somewhat rushed, and the final paragraph lacks the depth required to fully explore the changes across all income categories. To improve, ensure all years are covered with equal detail and verify that the word count meets the minimum requirement to avoid a penalty.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The essay is logically organized into an introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs. The use of cohesive devices such as 'In addition', 'Meanwhile', and 'Moreover' helps to guide the reader through the information. However, the progression of ideas is slightly hindered by the brevity of the final paragraph. Paragraphing is used appropriately, and the relationship between the different income groups is generally clear, though the transition between the 2011 and 2015 data could be smoother.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task, with terms like 'illustrates', 'categories', and 'respectively' used correctly. There are some minor errors in word choice, such as 'earned below than' instead of 'earned less than' and 'earned the highest income to' which is grammatically awkward. The range of vocabulary is sufficient to convey the main points, but it lacks the variety and precision required for a higher band score. Incorporating more sophisticated synonyms for 'increased' or 'remained stable' would enhance the lexical quality.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical slips, such as 'the number of households earned' (should be 'earning') and 'the figures for the $50,000-$74,999... were' (the capitalization of 'THE FIGURES' is an unnecessary error). While these errors do not impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score. Focusing on consistent verb forms and avoiding unnecessary capitalization will improve the accuracy of your writing.

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