Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · 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 6.5)

The provided bar graph illustrates the annual income in the household of US in 2007, 2011 and 2015.

Overall, we can see a trend that the annual income of the household in the US peaked at 2011 except for the people who earn $100,000 or more.

Detailed analysis of the graph showcases the rise in income of all the people who earn less than $100,000 yearly in 2011 as compared to 2007. The people who earn less than $25,000 annually has risen from 25% in 2007 to 29% in 2011 but dropped back to 27% in 2015. Similarly, the same goes for people who earned between $25,000 to $49,999 where the percentage has risen from 27% in 2007 to 30% in 2011 but dropped back to 28% in 2015.

On the other hand, the percentage people who earned between $75,000 to $99,999 had decreased from 14% in 2007 to 13% in 2011 but unexpectedly increased to 15% in 2015.Additionally, the individuals who earned more than $100,000 annually had decreased from 29% in 2007 to 27% in 2011 but skyrocketed to 33% in 2015.However, the people who earned between $50,000 to $74,999 had been constant at 31% in all 3 years.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

You have successfully identified the main features and provided relevant comparisons. The overview is clear, and you have selected key data points to support your descriptions. However, there is a factual error in your summary: you state that income peaked in 2011 for most groups, but the data shows that for the $50,000–$74,999 category, it remained constant, and for the $75,000–$99,999 category, the peak was actually in 2015. Additionally, ensure that your overview captures the most significant trends rather than just listing details. Overall, you have addressed the task requirements well.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The response is logically organized, with a clear introduction, overview, and body paragraphs. You use cohesive devices such as 'Similarly', 'On the other hand', and 'Additionally' to connect your ideas effectively. Paragraphing is used appropriately to group related information. To reach a higher band, ensure that the transition between sentences is even smoother and avoid repetitive phrasing like 'the people who earn'. The progression of ideas is clear, making the report easy to follow.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate a sufficient range of vocabulary to convey the information clearly. Phrases like 'skyrocketed', 'showcases', and 'remained constant' are used effectively. However, there is some repetition of basic structures and vocabulary, such as 'the people who earn'. To improve, try to use more varied synonyms for 'people' (e.g., 'households', 'individuals', 'earners') and avoid repeating the same sentence structures. Your word choice is generally accurate and appropriate for an academic report.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While most of your sentences are clear, there are some minor grammatical slips, such as 'the annual income in the household of US' (should be 'in US households') and 'the percentage people who earned' (missing 'of'). There are also occasional issues with subject-verb agreement and article usage. Despite these errors, your meaning is always clear, and the grammar does not impede communication. Increasing the variety of complex sentence forms would help improve this score.

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