Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-07-29

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 graph illustrates the number of households in the United States across different annual income groups in 2007, 2011, and 2015. The figures are measured in millions.

Overall, the highest proportion of households was demonstrated by individuals earning the least, whereas the least was shown by people with the second-largest annual income. Notably, citizens falling under the third-most category maintained a stable trend over the period.

In 2015, individuals earning $100,000 or more showed the biggest number of households, while people with salaries around $75,000 to $99,999 were the lowest. Additionally, in the year 2007, a similar pattern was depicted.

By contrast, in the year 2011, people with an annual income around $25,000 to $49,999 depicted the maximum number of households, whereas citizens getting around $75,000 to $99,999 was the least. Furthermore, humans earning less than $25,000 illustrated a second place showing a slight decline from those earning around $75,000 to $99,999.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response covers the main features of the data, but the analysis is inconsistent and contains factual inaccuracies. For instance, you state that in 2015, the $100,000+ group was the highest, whereas the chart shows the $50,000–$74,999 group was actually the highest in that year. Additionally, the description of the 2011 data is confusing, and the claim that the $75,000–$99,999 group was the lowest in 2011 contradicts the visual evidence. While you attempt to summarize, the misinterpretation of the data significantly impacts the accuracy of the report. To improve, ensure you carefully cross-reference your statements with the provided graph to avoid factual errors.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, with an introduction, an overview, and body paragraphs. You use some cohesive devices like 'Overall,' 'Notably,' and 'By contrast' to link ideas. However, the progression of ideas is sometimes hindered by the factual inaccuracies mentioned in the task achievement section. The referencing is occasionally unclear, such as in the final paragraph where the comparison between the $25,000–$49,999 group and the $75,000–$99,999 group is difficult to follow. Improving the clarity of your comparisons and ensuring that your transitions accurately reflect the data relationships would enhance the overall flow.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'proportion,' 'stable trend,' and 'depicted.' However, there are some awkward word choices, such as referring to income groups as 'humans' or 'citizens,' which is not appropriate for a formal report on statistical data. The vocabulary is generally functional but lacks the precision required for higher bands. To improve, focus on using more academic collocations related to data description, such as 'the largest segment' or 'a significant increase,' rather than relying on repetitive or slightly informal phrasing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While many sentences are clear, there are some grammatical slips, such as 'citizens getting around $75,000 to $99,999 was the least,' where the subject-verb agreement is incorrect (it should be 'were the least'). Another example is 'showed the biggest number of households,' which is grammatically functional but stylistically weak. The punctuation is generally accurate, and your errors do not impede communication, but you need to work on subject-verb agreement and more sophisticated sentence construction to reach a higher band.

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