Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-09-11

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 given bar chart provides information about the number of households by income during the period from 2007 to 2015 every four years in the US.

Overall, the number of households in each income bracket looked steady without any dramatic rise in each year. For example, at the beginning the incomes looked average, and did not have a very big difference, except $75,000-$99,999. However, at the end, the number of households did not significantly change.

In 2007, the number of households whose income was less than $25,000 was 25 million, and after 4 years the bar rose steadily to about 28 million. However, the number of families in 2015 dropped to over 26 million. The number of households with income from $25,000 to $49,999, in 2007 was over 26 million. After some amount of time, the bar rose to about 29 million families, and by the end of the period, it decreased to over 27 million.

At the beginning, the number of households whose income was from $50,000 to $74,999, was much lower than the other two incomes and had over 20 million. After 4 years it rose steadily to 22 million, and after another 4 years it fell to 20 million again. In addition, the number of families with an income from $75,000 to $99,999 was the smallest in comparison with the other 3 incomes, In 2007 it had over 14 million families, and did not grow until 2015. At the end it increased to about 15 million. In contrast, the number of households with an income from $100,000 and more, was the highest in comparison with other incomes. In 2007 it had over 29 million families, but in 2014 it had decreased to over 27 million. And in 2015 it experienced a sharp increase to over 34 million families.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

You have successfully identified the main features of the chart and provided relevant data points to support your descriptions. You covered all three years and the various income brackets. However, the overview is somewhat weak; it describes the trends as 'steady' without much variation, which misses the opportunity to highlight the most significant changes, such as the sharp increase in the highest income bracket in 2015. To improve, ensure your overview captures the most striking trends rather than just stating that things remained steady. Additionally, ensure your data reporting is precise, as some descriptions like 'after some amount of time' are vague.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The response is logically organized into paragraphs, with each focusing on specific income categories. There is a clear progression of ideas. You use some cohesive devices such as 'In addition', 'In contrast', and 'However' to link your sentences. However, some transitions feel a bit mechanical, and the flow between sentences could be smoother. For instance, the transition between the general overview and the specific data paragraphs is functional but could be more sophisticated. Ensure that you use a wider variety of cohesive devices to connect your ideas more naturally throughout the text.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'income bracket', 'steady', and 'sharp increase'. However, the vocabulary is somewhat repetitive, particularly the reliance on 'number of households' and 'families'. There are also some minor inaccuracies in collocation, such as 'incomes looked average' and 'did not grow until 2015'. To reach a higher band, try to incorporate more precise academic vocabulary to describe trends, such as 'fluctuated', 'remained constant', or 'peaked'. Avoiding repetitive phrasing will also help improve the overall quality of your writing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, which is appropriate for this task. Most of your sentences are clear and easy to follow. There are some grammatical errors, such as 'the number of households... looked steady without any dramatic rise in each year' and 'in 2014 it had decreased... And in 2015 it experienced'. The use of 'And' to start a sentence is generally discouraged in formal academic writing. While these errors do not impede communication, they do prevent the writing from reaching a higher band. Focus on improving your control over complex sentence structures and punctuation.

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

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