Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-08-12

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 6.0)

The given bar graph illustrate the numbers of households in the US by their annual income in year 2007,2011,2015 and the prices are calculated in US dollar.

Overall, households earning $100,000 or more increased considerably over the period and became the largest income group in 2015. In contrast, the number of households earning $50,000–$74,999 remained almost unchanged. The $75,000–$99,999 group was consistently the smallest.

In 2007, approximately 25 million household earned less than $25000, while around 27 million household earned between $25,000 to$49,999. The number of household earning $50,000-$74,999 was about 21 million., compared with only 14 million household earning $75,000-$99,999. Meanwhile, roughly 29 million household has an income of $100,000 or more.

In 2011, the figure for the first two categories rose to about 29 million and 30 million approximately. The $50,000–$74,999 and $75,000–$99,999 categories remained at approximately 21 million and 14 million. The highest-income group fell slightly to around 28 million. By 2015, households earning $100,000 or more had increased sharply to approximately 33 million, while the other groups remained relatively stable.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response covers all parts of the task well. You have successfully identified the main trends, such as the growth in the highest income bracket and the relative stability of the middle-income groups. The overview is clear and provides a good summary of the data. You have also made relevant comparisons between the years and income categories. To reach a higher band, ensure that all data points are accurate; for instance, your description of the 2011 figures for the first two categories (29 and 30 million) is slightly imprecise compared to the visual data. Overall, the report is well-structured and addresses the prompt effectively.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The response is logically organized, with a clear introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs detailing the data. The progression of ideas is easy to follow. You use some cohesive devices such as 'In contrast', 'Meanwhile', and 'By 2015', which help to link the information. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat mechanical at times. To improve, try to vary your linking phrases and ensure that the transition between sentences feels more natural. Paragraphing is used appropriately, and the information is presented in a logical sequence that guides the reader through the data.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'considerably', 'remained almost unchanged', and 'increased sharply'. There are some minor errors in word form, such as 'numbers of households' (should be 'number of households') and 'household has' (should be 'households had'). While you use some less common vocabulary, there is room to incorporate more precise academic collocations to describe trends. The vocabulary is sufficient to convey your meaning clearly, but it does not yet show the flexibility or precision required for a higher band score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are several grammatical errors, such as subject-verb agreement issues ('the given bar graph illustrate', '25 million household earned') and punctuation errors (missing spaces after commas, e.g., '2007,2011,2015'). These errors are frequent enough to be noticeable but do not impede communication. To improve, focus on proofreading for basic agreement and pluralization. Increasing the variety of complex structures while maintaining accuracy will help you achieve a higher score in this criterion.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

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