Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-08-26

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 chart compares American households based on their yearly , income in the years 2007, 2011 and 2015.

In general it can be observed that in all three years most number of households were earning $100,000 or more. The amount of homes earning $75,000 - $99,000 and $50,000 - $74,999 remained almost steady across the three years, ranging from 15 million to 21 million homes.

25 million households in the year 2007 were earning an annual income of less than $25,000, which increased significantly in 2011 and remained comparatively stable in 2015. Around 27 million US homes earned between $25,000 and $49,000 in 2007, which climbed to 30 million by 2011, followed by a slight decrease in 2015.

Number of households that were earning $75,000 - $99,000 and $50,000 - $74,999 had almost no change across all three years. Moreover, households earning more than $100,000 every year, experienced a noticeable decline in 2011, from 30 million to about 27 million. However, they then climbed steadily in 2015 reaching to about 28 million households.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response covers all parts of the task and provides a clear overview of the trends. You have successfully selected and reported the main features, such as the fluctuations in the highest income bracket and the relative stability of the middle-income groups. However, the analysis could be improved by ensuring the data points are consistently accurate. For instance, you mention that the $100,000+ group declined to 27 million in 2011, but the chart shows a slightly different figure. Additionally, while you make comparisons, some of the descriptions of trends could be more precise to fully capture the shifts between the three years.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The response is logically organized, with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a general overview. Each paragraph focuses on a specific aspect of the data, which helps the reader follow your argument. You use some cohesive devices, such as 'In general', 'Moreover', and 'However', to link ideas. To reach a higher band, try to vary your linking words further and ensure that the transition between sentences is smoother. Occasionally, the connection between the data points and your commentary feels slightly mechanical, but the overall progression is clear and easy to follow.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

You have a sufficient range of vocabulary to convey the information clearly. Phrases like 'remained almost steady', 'increased significantly', and 'climbed steadily' are appropriate for describing trends in a bar chart. However, there are some minor issues with word choice and phrasing, such as 'most number of households' (which should be 'the greatest number of households') and 'reaching to about' (which is redundant). To improve, focus on using more precise collocations and avoiding repetitive sentence structures when describing numerical changes.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. Most of your sentences are clear, and the errors present do not impede communication. There are some minor punctuation and grammatical slips, such as the unnecessary comma in the first sentence ('yearly , income') and the occasional missing article. To achieve a higher score, try to incorporate a wider variety of complex grammatical structures, such as using participle clauses (e.g., 'followed by a slight decrease') more consistently and ensuring subject-verb agreement is always accurate.

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