Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-09-17

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 graph compares the number of households in the US by their annual income. The data pertains to the time period of years 2007, 2011 and 2015. Overall, the highest number of households was approximately 33 million with an annual income of $100,000 or more in 2015, while the lowest number of households were near 14 million with an annual income of $75,000 to $99,999.

On a cursory look, it becomes evident that the bar graph depicts certain number of households in each given year which were increased. For instance, in year 2007, the highest number of households was near 29 million with an annual income of $100,000 or more, while in 2011, the highest number of households was accounted at 30 million with an annual income of $25,000-$49,999. Similarly, in 2015, the highest number of households were roughly 33 million with an annual income around $100,000 or more.

In comparison, the graph shows few households which were lowest in each year; for example, if we look at the year 2007, the lowest number of households was nearly 14 million with an annual income of $75,000 to $99,999. Furthermore, in 2011, the lowest number of households was roughly 13 million with an annual income of $75,000 to $99,999 similarly, in 2015, the lowest number of households was approximately 15 million with an annual income of $75,000 to $99,999.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The student successfully addresses all parts of the task by reporting the main features of the chart and making relevant comparisons across the years 2007, 2011, and 2015. In the overview, the writer highlights key data points, such as the highest and lowest household numbers. Specific figures are generally accurate and grounded in the visual data, referencing categories like $100,000 or more and $75,000 to $99,999. However, the organisation of body paragraphs focuses heavily on listing maximums and minimums rather than grouping trends by income brackets, which would present a clearer overview of the data. Despite this minor limitation in idea structuring, all required information is adequately covered.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The response features a coherent overall arrangement with a clear division into an introduction, overview, and body paragraphs. Logical progression is attempted through the use of transition signals such as "On a cursory look," "For instance," and "In comparison." However, referencing and transitional phrases are sometimes used in a mechanical or slightly awkward manner, such as "On a cursory look, it becomes evident that the bar graph depicts certain number of households in each given year which were increased." Paragraphing is appropriate, but the internal flow within paragraphs could be smoother to enhance readability and avoid repetitive sentence structures.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The student demonstrates an adequate vocabulary range suitable for the task, successfully incorporating terms such as "households," "annual income," "approximately," and "highest number." There are attempts to use less common vocabulary, though some phrasing is awkward or imprecise, such as "the lowest number of households were near 14 million" (subject-verb agreement error with numbers) and "the highest number of households was accounted at 30 million." Spelling and word choice are generally accurate enough not to impede communication, but lexical precision prevents the score from reaching a higher band.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The response displays a mix of simple and complex sentence forms. The writer attempts complex structures using relative clauses and subordinate conjunctions, as seen in "while the lowest number of households were near 14 million with an annual income of $75,000 to $99,999." However, there are notable grammatical errors, including subject-verb agreement issues ("the lowest number of households were") and minor prepositional inaccuracies ("accounted at" instead of "recorded at"). These errors occur regularly alongside error-free sentences, but they do not impede the overall communication of the data.

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