Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-09-16

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 barchart gives information about the number of families in the US by how much they earn yearly (in millions) in 2007, 2011 and 2015.

Overall, the number of families that earns the highest income are the biggest in the three years while those that follows them are the smallest in the same years. It is notable that the number of households that fell within the middle annual earners remained the same through out the years while the other two groups that receives the least income fluctuated.

In the year 2007, almost 30 million residents earned $100,000 or more which reduced slightly in 2011 to around 27 million and then rose significantly to nearly 35 million. In contrast, almost 15 million families received $75,000 - $99,999 in 2007 which decreased slightly to around 13 million and went ahead to step up to 15 million in 2015. The people that receive an annual income of $50,000 - $74,999 remained steady at above 20 million in the three years (2007, 2011 and 2015).

Households that make $25,000 - $49,999 were above 25 million and in the year 2011, grew to $30 million and after four years (2015), decreased slightly to nearly 30 million. On the other hand, families that went home with annual income less than $25,000 were 25 million in 2007, and in 2011, they further increased to almost 30 million and then, declined to above 25 million in 2015.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The student covers all parts of the task by reporting data for all income categories and years (2007, 2011, and 2015). An overview is provided in the second paragraph, capturing general trends such as the stability of the middle-income group and fluctuations in others. However, the phrasing in the overview ('the number of families that earns the highest income are the biggest') is somewhat imprecise and awkward. Furthermore, while specific figures are provided, there are minor inaccuracies in reading the data, such as stating that households making $25,000–$49,999 grew to '$30 million' instead of 30 million households. Despite these minor issues, the key features and main comparisons are adequately highlighted, fulfilling the requirements for Band 6.0.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organized into four paragraphs, including an introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs detailing specific data points. The overall progression is logical, moving from general trends to specific categories. Cohesive devices are used to link ideas, such as 'Overall', 'In contrast', and 'On the other hand'. However, referencing and cohesion can be slightly mechanical or repetitive, and some sentences feel densely packed with data without sufficient flow. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the introduction, overview, and body details, earning a solid Band 6.0.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully employing terms related to data reporting such as 'fluctuated', 'decreased slightly', 'rose significantly', and 'remained steady'. However, there are noticeable word choice and collocation errors, such as 'grew to $30 million' (instead of 30 million households) and awkward phrasing like 'families that went home with annual income'. Less common vocabulary is attempted with mixed success. Spelling and word formation are generally acceptable, but precision is lacking at times, placing the response firmly in the Band 6.0 range.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The response features a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing relative clauses and subordinate structures (e.g., 'The barchart gives information about...'). There are several grammatical errors and awkward structures, such as subject-verb agreement issues ('the number of families that earns') and incorrect prepositional use ('through out the years'). Punctuation is generally functional, but the recurring grammatical errors occasionally cause minor strain for the reader. Nevertheless, the meaning remains clear throughout, making Band 6.0 an appropriate score.

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

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