Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-08-20

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 provided bar chart illustrates the information of the number of households by yearly income in the United States in 2007, 2011 and 2015.

Overall, the annual income of US households maintained a similar pattern in the given three years except for one income group among the five in the final year.

In 2007, around 30 million people earned $100,000 or more annually which is the highest number for that year, whereas people earning $75,000-$99,999 yearly were 14 million in number, the lowest for the year. In 2011, the number of households earning $100,000 or more went down a bit but the people earning $25,0000-$49,000 annually increased to 30 million. People earning less than $25,000 were the second highest groups in that year.

On the other hand, $100,000 or more yearly earners dramatically escalated to around 34 million in 2015, the highest in any category in any year, while less than $25,000 and $25,000-49,999 income groups declined slightly. Additionally, more than 50,000 dollar and 75,000 dollars income group hovered around 20 and 15 million number of households respectively throughout the timeline.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response covers all parts of the task and identifies key trends, such as the growth in the highest income bracket and the relative stability of the middle groups. However, the analysis is slightly hampered by inaccuracies in data reporting. For instance, you mention '30 million people' in 2007, but the chart refers to 'number of households', not 'people'. Additionally, the description of the $25,000-$49,999 group in 2011 as '30 million' is a misreading of the data, which shows a lower figure. While the main features are highlighted, the precision of the data reporting needs improvement to reach a higher band.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The response is logically organized with a clear introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs focusing on specific years and trends. Cohesive devices such as 'whereas', 'on the other hand', and 'additionally' are used to link ideas effectively. The progression of information is generally clear, moving from the 2007 baseline to the 2015 changes. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the overview from the detailed analysis. To improve, ensure that the transition between sentences is smoother and avoid repetitive phrasing when describing the data points.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'maintained a similar pattern', 'escalated', and 'declined slightly'. There are some minor inaccuracies, such as using 'people' instead of 'households', which is a recurring error. The phrase 'number of households' is repeated frequently, which limits the lexical variety. While the vocabulary is sufficient to convey the meaning, incorporating more precise synonyms for 'number' or 'increase' would enhance the quality of the response.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are some grammatical slips, such as 'the number of households... were 14 million' (should be 'was') and 'more than 50,000 dollar and 75,000 dollars income group' (which is syntactically awkward). Despite these errors, the meaning remains clear throughout the text, and the punctuation is generally accurate. To reach a higher band, focus on subject-verb agreement and ensure that complex noun phrases are constructed correctly.

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

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