Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-08-17

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, in millions across five different income groups.

Overall, households earning $100,000 or more formed the largest groups over the period, and became clearly the largest category by 2015. The two middle income groups remained almost stable throughout the years, while the two lower-income groups increased slightly.

In terms of the households earning less than $25,000 remained 25 million in 2007, slightly increased to 29 million in 2011 before falling to 28 million in 2015. Compared with the households who earned between $25000 and $49,999 was 27 million in 2007, slightly rose to 30 million in 2011, then again fell to 29 million in 2015. The people who earned between $50,000 and $74999 remained stable over the period accounted for 21 million.

In comparison, household earning between $75,000 and $99,999 accounted for 14 million, 13 million and 15 million in respective years. While the households who earned $100,000 or more reported as 29 million in 2007, declined to 28 million in 2011, then rose to 33 million by 2015.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

You have successfully identified the main features and trends of the data. The overview clearly highlights the dominant income group and the general stability of middle-income brackets. You have included data points for all categories across the three years, which satisfies the requirement to report on all parts of the task. However, the analysis could be improved by making more direct comparisons between the groups rather than listing them sequentially. For instance, noting that the highest income group overtook the lowest income group by 2015 would provide a stronger analytical focus. Overall, the response is accurate and covers the requirements well.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The response is logically organized with a clear introduction, an overview, and body paragraphs focusing on specific income brackets. You use cohesive devices such as 'In terms of', 'Compared with', and 'In comparison' to transition between ideas. However, some of the sentence structures are slightly mechanical, and the referencing is occasionally repetitive. For example, the phrase 'the households who earned' is used frequently, which makes the flow feel a bit rigid. Improving the variety of linking phrases and using more pronouns or synonyms to refer back to previously mentioned groups would enhance the cohesion of the text.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'income groups', 'stable', and 'respective years' appropriately. There are some minor inaccuracies in word choice, such as 'accounted for 21 million' when describing a trend, and 'reported as 29 million', which is slightly unnatural. To reach a higher band, try to incorporate more precise reporting verbs and nouns related to data trends, such as 'fluctuated', 'remained constant', or 'experienced a marginal increase'. The vocabulary is sufficient to convey your meaning clearly, but it lacks the sophistication required for a higher 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 that affect the accuracy of your writing. For example, 'In terms of the households earning less than $25,000 remained 25 million' is grammatically incorrect; it should be 'The number of households earning less than $25,000 remained at 25 million'. Similarly, 'Compared with the households who earned... was 27 million' contains a structural error. These errors occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and ensuring that your complex sentences are correctly constructed will help improve your accuracy.

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

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