Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-09-07

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 provided bar graph enumerates the data of millions of people by the context of their yearly income in 2007, 2011, and 2015 in the United States.

As an overview, it is noticeable that an individual's yearly earnings remain nearly the same across the three years of the survey, between $75,000 and $99,999 for approximately 15 million people.

At a cursory glance, in a commodity the number of people earning below the poverty line remain at 25 to 28 million with a fractional fluctuation across the given timeframe. Meanwhile, the population earning more than a five-figure income was 29 million in 2007, 28 million in 2011, and about 34 million in 2015.

However, the median income range from 50,000-74,999 dollars has been constant for almost 21 million people across the country. At last, the sudden rise of 25 to 30 million people from 2007 to 2011, making 25,000 to 49,000 dollars, ended with a slight dip in 2015 at 29 million people.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response provides a summary of the main features, but the analysis is somewhat superficial. While you identify key trends, the reporting of data is occasionally imprecise or confusing, such as the phrase 'in a commodity' which does not fit the context. You have selected relevant data points, but the comparison between categories could be more analytical. To improve, ensure you clearly distinguish between the income brackets and use the data to highlight significant shifts rather than just listing numbers. The overview is present but could be more clearly linked to the overall trends observed in the chart.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. You use some cohesive devices like 'Meanwhile' and 'However' to transition between ideas. However, some transitions feel slightly mechanical or forced. The referencing is generally clear, but the flow between sentences could be improved to create a more cohesive narrative. The paragraphing is appropriate for an Academic Task 1 response, and the information is presented in a way that is easy to follow, even if the internal logic of some sentences is slightly obscured by word choice.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'enumerates', 'timeframe', and 'fluctuation'. However, there are instances of awkward or incorrect word usage, such as 'in a commodity' and 'by the context of'. These errors do not impede communication, but they do limit the precision of your writing. To reach a higher band, focus on using collocations more naturally and ensuring that your vocabulary choices are contextually appropriate for describing statistical data.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While many sentences are clear, there are some grammatical inaccuracies, such as 'the median income range... has been constant' (when referring to a count of people rather than the income itself) and 'At last, the sudden rise... ended with a slight dip'. These errors are noticeable but do not prevent the reader from understanding your meaning. To improve, focus on subject-verb agreement and ensuring that your complex sentences are constructed with greater grammatical precision.

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

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