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 chart compares the number of US households by yearly income in 2007, 2011 and 2015.

Overall, households which earn less than $25,000 and $25,000 to $49,999 went up in 2011, before decreasing 2015. This trend was reversed in households that earn $75,000-$99,999 and $100,000 or more. While, families earned $50,000 to $74,999 remained unchanged the whole period.

In 2007, 25 million of households earned less than $25,000, which increased to around 28 million in 2011. This figure then decreased slightly to about 27 million. Similiar pattern was observed in the households which earn $25,000-$49,999, by being approximately 26 millioin in 2007, before rising to just under 30 million, then declined slightly by about 1 million.

Among all of them family with $75,000 to $99,999 was relatively low, with being just under 15. Million in 2007, then slightly declined to about 14 million before going up to 15 milion in 2015. In contrast, families which earned $100,00 or more in year was the most common and had a similiar trend. In 2007, it was accounted for just below 30 million households, decreased to about 27 million in 2011, before increasing dramatically to over 33 million in 2015.

Number of households which earned $50,000 to $74,999 stayed the same over the given period at around 21 million.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response covers all key features of the chart and provides a clear overview. You successfully identified the main trends, such as the increase in lower-income households in 2011 and the contrasting performance of higher-income brackets. However, the statement that the $50,000-$74,999 group remained 'unchanged' is slightly inaccurate, as the chart shows minor fluctuations. Additionally, some data points are described with slight imprecision. To reach a higher band, ensure that all data reporting is strictly accurate and that the overview highlights the most significant differences rather than just listing trends.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is logically organized into paragraphs, with a clear introduction, overview, and body paragraphs focusing on specific income groups. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'In contrast' and 'This figure then', which help the flow of information. However, some transitions are mechanical, and the use of 'While,' at the start of a sentence is grammatically incorrect. The referencing is generally clear, but the progression of ideas could be smoother if you grouped the income categories more strategically to emphasize the comparisons rather than just describing each group in isolation.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You have a sufficient range of vocabulary to convey the information, using terms like 'declined', 'increased', and 'dramatically'. However, there are several spelling errors ('Similiar', 'millioin', 'milon') and some awkward phrasing, such as 'Among all of them family with...'. The word choice is generally functional but lacks the precision and sophistication required for higher bands. To improve, focus on using more varied collocations and ensuring accurate spelling of key terms like 'similar' and 'million'.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors that occasionally distract the reader, such as '25 million of households' (should be '25 million households'), 'families earned' (should be 'families earning'), and 'in year' (should be 'per year'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with the placement of commas and the use of decimals (e.g., '15. Million'). While these errors do not prevent the reader from understanding the data, they occur frequently enough to limit the score.

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

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