Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · 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 6.5)

The bar chart illustrates the number of families based on their annual income category in the US between the year 2001, 2011, and 2015.

Overall, households who make more than [redacted phone] USD reported the highest number in 2007 and 2015, whereas those with income between $25000 to $49999 was the biggest portion in 2011. Furthermore, across all three years, families with an annual income in the range of $75000-$99999 showed the lowest number of households.

For all period, three categories stood out for high number of families (less than $25000, $25000-$49999, and $[redacted phone] or more). In 2007, those who make $[redacted phone] or more reported just below 30 million households, falling slightly to 27 million in 2011, before peaking at roughly 33 million households, which is the highest across all categories. Meanwhile, the other two categories (less than $25000 and $25000-$49999) both peaked at 2011, reporting around 28 million and 30 million households respectively.

The number of households who make around 50000 USD to 74999 USD remained stable throughout all period, maintaining just above 20 million households across all year. Conversely, those with salaries around 75000 USD to 99999 USD consistently reported the lowest number of households. It originally started just below 15 million, dipping slightly in 2011 (roughly 14 million), and recorded 15 million households in 2015.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response covers all key features of the chart, including the trends for the various income brackets. You have successfully identified the highest and lowest categories and noted the shifts over the three years. The overview is clear and highlights the main trends effectively. However, there is a minor factual error in the introduction where you state '2001' instead of '2007'. Additionally, while the data is generally accurate, ensure that comparisons are consistently precise. Overall, the response provides a well-developed summary that addresses the requirements of the task effectively.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs that group information by category trends. Cohesive devices such as 'Furthermore', 'Meanwhile', and 'Conversely' are used effectively to guide the reader through the data. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate different aspects of the data. The progression of ideas is clear throughout the response. To reach a higher band, ensure that referencing is always precise; for example, 'For all period' should be 'For the entire period' to improve the flow of the opening sentence in the third paragraph.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate a sufficient range of vocabulary to convey the information clearly. Phrases like 'remained stable', 'dipping slightly', and 'peaking at' are appropriate for describing trends in a graph. There are some minor issues with word choice and collocation, such as 'reported the highest number' (which is slightly awkward; 'accounted for the largest proportion' would be better) and 'For all period' (should be 'For the entire period'). Despite these minor inaccuracies, the vocabulary is adequate for the task and does not impede communication.

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 subject-verb agreement issues ('households who make... reported' vs 'households... were') and prepositional errors ('across all year' should be 'across all years'). While these errors are noticeable, they do not impede the overall meaning of the report. To improve, focus on ensuring consistent tense usage and pluralization. The sentence structure is generally clear, but more variety in complex structures would enhance the score.

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

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