Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-08-23

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 compares the number of households in US country according to their income of whole year in three different years from 2007 to 2015.

Overall, the number remains nearly constant for those who have average annual income whereas, some major or minor changes are observed for highly poor and rich people in all three years.

As exhibited, the individuals having annual income from fifty thousand to 74,999 USD and seventy five to 99,999 comprises approximately 20 million and 15 million households respectively. Moreover, this numbers remain unchanged while moving from 2007 to 2015.

However, one having income less than twenty five thousand dollar contains 25 million household which increased to 29 million from 2007 to 2011 and further decreased to 27 million in 2015. A similar trend is observed for those having income more than 25 thousand and less than 49,999. In contrast, the rich people with more than one lack dollar income, initially have 30 million household decreased to 27 million in 2011 and further increased to nearly 33 million.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response provides a clear overview of the main trends and selects relevant data points to support the description. You successfully identified the stability in middle-income brackets and the fluctuations in the lower and higher income groups. However, the report could be improved by ensuring more precise data reporting; for instance, referring to 'one lack dollar' is informal and imprecise. Additionally, while you mention the main features, a more analytical comparison between the categories would elevate the response. The overview is present but could be more distinct to better highlight the overall patterns across the three years.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, an overview, and body paragraphs. You use cohesive devices such as 'Moreover', 'However', and 'In contrast' to link ideas effectively. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the different income categories. However, some transitions feel slightly mechanical, and the referencing of data could be smoother. For example, the transition between the discussion of the middle-income groups and the lower-income groups is functional but could be more sophisticated to improve the flow of information.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'exhibited', 'fluctuations', and 'remains constant'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and phrasing, such as 'US country' (should be 'the US'), 'one lack dollar' (which is not standard English for 100,000), and 'this numbers' (a subject-verb agreement error). To reach a higher band, you should aim for more precise terminology regarding data and avoid informal phrasing. The vocabulary is sufficient to convey your meaning, but lacks the flexibility and precision required for higher bands.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are several grammatical errors that persist. These include subject-verb agreement issues ('this numbers remain'), article usage ('in US country'), and awkward phrasing ('one having income less than... contains 25 million household'). While these errors do not impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score. Increasing the variety of complex structures and ensuring better control over basic grammar would improve your score significantly.

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

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