Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-08-27

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 the US by their annual income in three years, 2007, 2011 and 2015

Overall 29 million households earned more than $100,000 in 2007 but it was decreased by 2 million in 2011, after that it grew by 6 million households earning more than $100,000 in 2015 which is 33 million households to be exact.

27 million households were earning between $25000 to $49,000 in 2007, it grew to 30 million in 2011 but was declined back in 2015, additionally households earning between $50,000 to $74,999 were pretty constant throughout the three years.

The least number of people compared to other categories earning between $75,000 to $99,999 were about the same in 2007 and 2015, about 29 million and 30 million households respectively, but were fewer in 2011 at about 28 million households.

Subsequently 2015 was the year that number of households in all categories of annual income increased in contrast to 2007 with main highlight for households earning more than $100,000.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response provides a clear overview and selects key features from the chart. However, the analysis is somewhat inconsistent. For instance, the statement that '2015 was the year that number of households in all categories of annual income increased' is factually incorrect based on the provided data, as some categories show fluctuations or decreases. Additionally, the description of the $75,000–$99,999 category as the 'least number of people' is inaccurate, as the chart shows other categories with lower figures. While the main trends are identified, the accuracy of the data reporting needs improvement to reach a higher band.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is organised into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the information. There is a logical progression from the overview to specific categories. However, the use of cohesive devices is sometimes mechanical or slightly awkward, such as the transition 'after that it grew' and 'subsequently 2015 was the year'. The referencing is generally clear, but the flow between sentences could be smoother. The paragraphing is used appropriately to separate different income brackets, which aids readability.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is adequate for the task, allowing the writer to describe trends such as 'increased', 'decreased', and 'declined'. However, the range is somewhat limited and repetitive. There are minor inaccuracies in word choice, such as 'was declined back', which is grammatically incorrect (should be 'declined'). To improve, the student should incorporate more precise synonyms for trends and avoid repetitive phrasing. The use of 'pretty constant' is also too informal for an academic report.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'it was decreased' (passive voice misuse), 'was declined back', and 'number of households... increased' (missing articles). Punctuation is generally functional, but there are some run-on sentences and missing commas. While these errors do not significantly impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score. More attention to subject-verb agreement and correct passive construction is needed.

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

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