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 across different annual income brackets in the United States in 2007, 2011 and 2015.

Overall, it can be seen that the households earning $25,000–$49,999 and those earning $100,000 or more recorded the highest figures, while the $75,000–$99,999 income group consistently had the lowest number of households.

According to the chart, the number of households less than $25,000, there was a notably rise around 25 million in 2007 to approximately 28 million in 2011. However, the number dipped slightly to about 27 million in 2015. Similarly, the income range of houshold $25,000-$49,999 grew about 27 million in 2007 to nearly 30 million in 2011 and then the data declined slowly to 28 million in 2015.

In contrast, the number of households highest income $100,000 or more saw their income 29 million in 2007 and The figure fell to around 27 million in 2011, then increased sharply to approximately 33 million in 2015.

The households in the $50,000-$74,000 and $75,000-$99,999 income brackets remained relatively steady throughout the years, the income averaging around 21 million and 14 million respectively.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response covers all parts of the task and provides a clear overview of the main trends. You have successfully selected and reported the key features, such as the consistent lowest group and the fluctuations in the highest income bracket. However, the analysis is slightly hampered by some inaccuracies in data reporting. For instance, you mention a 'notably rise around 25 million', which is grammatically awkward and lacks precision. Additionally, the description of the $100,000+ group as 'saw their income 29 million' is confusing, as the chart tracks the number of households, not the income itself. To reach a higher band, ensure that data points are described with greater precision and that the distinction between the number of households and the income value is maintained.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The response is logically organised with a clear introduction, overview, and body paragraphs that group information by income categories. The use of cohesive devices such as 'Overall', 'According to the chart', 'Similarly', and 'In contrast' helps guide the reader through the data. However, the progression within paragraphs is occasionally mechanical. For example, the transition between the description of the $100,000+ group and the final paragraph feels slightly abrupt. Paragraphing is used appropriately, and the overall structure is coherent, though the flow could be improved by using more varied linking phrases to connect the trends between the years more fluidly.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You have used an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, including terms like 'brackets', 'consistently', 'fluctuated', and 'declined'. There are some minor errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'notably rise' (should be 'notable rise') and 'saw their income 29 million' (should be 'reached a figure of 29 million'). While these errors do not impede communication, they demonstrate a limited control over more sophisticated lexical items. To improve, focus on using more precise collocations when describing trends and ensure that nouns and verbs are used in their correct forms to describe statistical data.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While you attempt to use complex sentences, there are several grammatical errors that occur throughout the text, such as 'the number of households less than $25,000, there was a notably rise' (a run-on/comma splice issue) and 'the income range of houshold $25,000-$49,999 grew about 27 million' (missing preposition 'by'). These errors are frequent enough to be noticeable but do not prevent the reader from understanding the main points. Increasing the number of error-free sentences and refining the use of prepositions and sentence connectors will help improve your score in this criterion.

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

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