Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-08-29

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 compares the total number of households in the United States across five income categories during the three specific years: 2007, 2011 and

2015.

Overall, the highest income group ($100,000 or more) and the lowest income category ($25,000-$49,999) contained the largest number of households while on the other hand, middle income groups remained significantly smaller. By the 2015, high-earning households number escalated dramatically.

In 2007, approximately 29 million households earned $100,000 and more making it the dominant category, followed closely by $25,000-49,999 bracket at nearly 27 million. By 2011, following a slight decline in high earners, the lower earners briefly took the lead, with household earning $25,000-49,999 peaking at nearly 29 million and those under $25,000 reaching about 28 million.

By contrast the middle income brackets recorded smaller, more stable figures.

Household making $50,000-$74,000 started at around 21 million in 2007 and fell slightly to 19 million in 2015.$75,000- 99,999 group consistently recoded at low

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response provides a clear overview and identifies key trends, such as the dominance of high and low income groups. However, the report is incomplete. The final sentence is cut off mid-thought ('$75,000- 99,999 group consistently recoded at low'), which prevents a full summary of the data. While the main features are selected, the lack of completion for the final category means the task is not fully addressed. To improve, ensure all data points are described and the conclusion is fully articulated before the response ends.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, and there is a clear attempt to use cohesive devices such as 'Overall,' 'In 2007,' and 'By contrast.' However, the abrupt ending significantly disrupts the flow and coherence of the final paragraph. Referencing is generally clear, but the mechanical nature of some transitions limits the score. To reach a higher band, ensure that ideas are fully developed within paragraphs and that the text concludes in a way that provides a sense of closure rather than stopping mid-sentence.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary used is generally appropriate for an academic report, with terms like 'escalated dramatically,' 'dominant category,' and 'stable figures.' There are minor errors, such as 'household earning' (should be 'households earning') and 'recoded' (likely a typo for 'recorded'). The range is adequate for the task, but the incomplete nature of the final sentence limits the demonstration of a wider, more sophisticated vocabulary. Focusing on proofreading for small slips and ensuring complete sentence structures will help improve this score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'By the 2015' (incorrect article usage) and 'high-earning households number' (awkward phrasing). Additionally, there are punctuation and spelling issues, such as the missing space in '$75,000- 99,999' and the incomplete final sentence. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they occur frequently enough to impact the overall accuracy. Increasing the variety of complex structures while maintaining better control over basic grammar would be beneficial.

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

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