Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-08-02

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 illustrates the yearly money earned by the residentials in US.

Overall, households became more rich over the years.

Firstly, the households earning less than $25,000 were 25 millions in 2007, which showed a slight increase and reached almost 29 millions during the year 2011. After four year the figures decreased by 1 million. Secondly, the households earning between $25,000-$49,999 were 26 millions, which showed a slight increase during the year 2011 and reached 30 million, and suffered a slight decrease and reached 29 millions by the year 2015.

Thirdly, those earning between $50,000-$74,999 were 20 millions by the year 2007. Furthermore, the figures remained the same after four years, and suffered a marginal decrease and reached 19 millions by the year 2015. Fourthly, those having annual income between $75,00-$99,999 were 14 millions by the year 2007, followed by a slight decrease and became 14 million by the year 2011, showing a marginal increase by the year 2015 and reached 15 million. Finally, the households earning $100,000 or more were 29 millions in number by the year 2007, suffering a slight decrease by the year 2011, but experienced a dramatic increase by the year 2015 and reached 33 millions.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The response covers all the required data points and identifies the main trends. The overview is present, though it is slightly simplistic. The report is accurate in its data selection, and the comparisons are clear. To reach a higher band, the overview should be more detailed, perhaps highlighting the most significant shifts (e.g., the growth in the highest income bracket versus the stability in others). The structure is logical, and the key features are adequately highlighted, meeting the requirements for a Band 6.5 or 7.0. I have awarded a 6.5 as the overview could be more analytical.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is organized logically, using a paragraph-by-paragraph approach for each income category. Cohesive devices such as 'Firstly', 'Secondly', 'Thirdly', and 'Finally' are used to sequence the information. However, the reliance on these ordinal numbers makes the flow feel somewhat mechanical and repetitive. To improve, you should vary your linking phrases and use more sophisticated referencing (e.g., 'this figure', 'the latter category') to connect ideas more fluidly between sentences. Paragraphing is present, but the transition between the overview and the body paragraphs could be smoother.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task, allowing for clear communication of the data. You use some appropriate terms like 'marginal decrease' and 'dramatic increase'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice, such as 'yearly money earned by the residentials' (should be 'annual income of households') and 'households became more rich' (should be 'households became wealthier'). The range is sufficient to convey the meaning, but it lacks the precision and flexibility required for a higher band. Expanding your repertoire of reporting verbs and adjectives would be beneficial.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'After four year' (should be 'years'), 'the households... were 25 millions' (should be '25 million'), and 'between $75,00-$99,999' (typo). While these errors do not impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score. To improve, focus on subject-verb agreement and pluralization rules for numbers and currency. The use of complex structures is attempted, but accuracy needs to be more consistent to reach the Band 7 level.

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.