Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-08-25

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 bar chart illustrates the number of households in US based on their income for three different years: 2007, 2011, and 2015.

Overall, the chart displays changes in households incomes brackets over the three mentioned years, categorizing households into five income groups. There is a noticeable increase in households earning over $100,000, while with income below $25,000 experienced a slight decrease from 2011 to 2015.

The data reveals the significant rise in the number of households earning more than $100,000, surpassing over 30 million in the year 2015. Conversly, around 25 million households gained less than $25,000. This number rose to just under 30 million, before falling to over 27 million in 2015. There were approximately 26 to 30 million households earning $25,000 to $49,999 in America.

In the given period, the income group of $50,000 to $74,999 has only about 20 million in 2007. After that it slightly increased to 22 million, before going back down to again 20 million in 2015. Then the fourth income group earning $75,000 to $99,999 had only 15 million in 2007, and after that in remained at 15 million in 2015.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

You have successfully identified the main trends and provided a clear overview of the data. You covered all income categories and included relevant comparisons across the three years. However, the report could be improved by ensuring the data points are more precise. For example, you mention 'around 25 million' and 'just under 30 million' without clearly distinguishing between the years for each figure. To reach a higher band, ensure that every claim is explicitly linked to a specific year to avoid ambiguity. The overview is effective, but the body paragraphs would benefit from a more structured approach to comparing the categories rather than listing them sequentially.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The response is logically organized with a clear introduction, overview, and body paragraphs. You use some cohesive devices such as 'conversely' and 'in the given period' to link ideas. However, some transitions feel slightly mechanical, and the flow between sentences could be smoother. For instance, the transition between the second and third body paragraphs is abrupt. Paragraphing is used appropriately to group related information, which helps the reader follow the progression of the data. To improve, focus on using a wider variety of cohesive devices to connect the trends more fluidly.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'income brackets', 'categorizing', and 'surpassing'. There are some minor inaccuracies, such as 'income group... has only about 20 million', where 'consisted of' or 'accounted for' would be more precise. Additionally, there is a slight repetition of basic structures. To achieve a higher score, try to incorporate more sophisticated collocations related to data description, such as 'witnessed a marginal decline' or 'remained stable at'. Your spelling is accurate throughout the response.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, which is appropriate for this task. However, there are several grammatical slips that slightly hinder the flow. For example, 'while with income below $25,000 experienced' is grammatically incorrect; it should be 'while households with income below $25,000 experienced'. Another error is 'it remained at 15 million in 2015', where the 'in' is redundant. While these errors do not impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score. Focus on subject-verb agreement and ensuring that your complex sentences are constructed with precision.

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

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