Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

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

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 US households, in millions, across diffrent annual income brackets in 2007, 2011 and 2015.

Overall, what stands out from the graph is that the households with yearly income $100,000 or more was the highest in 2015, while less than $25,000 constitutes the lowest households over the period. Remaining figures fluctuated noticebly to varying degrees.

In 2007, approximately 29 million households earned $100,000 or more, followed by $25,000-$49,999 that stood at 27 million. In addition, the figures for less than $25,000 and $50,000-$74,999 accounted for 25 million and 21 million whereas $75,000-$99,999 contained the lowest households.

In 2011, the two leading income brackets were $25,000-$49,999 and less than $25,000 with roughly 30 million and 28 million households. By 2015, approximately 33 million households showed $100,000 or more income, the highest figure in the chart. Less than $25,000 and $25,000-$49,999 varied slightly while $75,000-$99,999 income group consisted just 15 million households.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

You have successfully identified the main features of the data and provided a clear overview. You covered all three years and categorized the income brackets effectively. However, the analysis is somewhat descriptive rather than analytical. For instance, you list figures for 2007 and 2011 without fully highlighting the trends or comparing the categories against each other in a more sophisticated way. To reach a higher band, ensure that you not only report the data but also synthesize it by grouping similar trends or contrasting significant changes more explicitly. The overview is accurate, but the body paragraphs could benefit from more comparative language to better illustrate the shifts over the eight-year period.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The response is logically organized with a clear introduction, overview, and body paragraphs. You use some cohesive devices such as 'In addition', 'whereas', and 'By 2015' to link ideas. However, the progression between sentences can feel a bit mechanical at times. The transition between the 2007 and 2011 data could be smoother to better reflect the chronological flow. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the years, which helps the reader follow the information. To improve, try to vary your cohesive devices further and ensure that the relationship between the income brackets is more clearly signaled throughout the text.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'income brackets', 'fluctuated', and 'constitutes'. There are some minor spelling errors, such as 'diffrent' and 'noticebly', which slightly detract from the professional tone. While your vocabulary is sufficient to convey the meaning, it lacks the sophistication and precision required for higher bands. You tend to repeat the word 'households' frequently. To improve, try to use synonyms or rephrase sentences to avoid repetition and incorporate more precise collocations related to data trends, such as 'a significant increase' or 'remained relatively stable'.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, which is appropriate for this task. Most of your sentences are clear and easy to follow. However, there are some grammatical slips, such as 'the households... was the highest' (should be 'were') and 'income group consisted just 15 million' (missing 'of'). Additionally, some phrasing is slightly awkward, such as 'contained the lowest households'. While these errors do not impede communication, they indicate a need for more careful proofreading. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and preposition usage 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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