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 the 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 was 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 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 was roughly 33 million with an annual income around $100,000 or more.

In comparison, the graph represents some of the 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 5.5

The student attempts to address the task by summarizing the main features of the bar graph comparing US households by annual income in 2007, 2011, and 2015. An overview is provided in the introduction, highlighting extreme values. However, the selection of data is somewhat repetitive and focuses heavily on identifying 'highest' and 'lowest' categories for each individual year rather than identifying broader trends over the 8-year period (such as the overall stability of middle-income brackets or the shift in high-income households). Furthermore, some figures reported, such as the lowest income bracket in 2011 being 'roughly 13 million', do not match the provided chart data accurately (where it stands around 28.5 million for the lowest bracket overall). Consequently, the development of ideas is limited.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The response is organized into clear paragraphs, beginning with an introduction and followed by body paragraphs focusing on high and low points. Cohesive devices are used to connect ideas, such as 'On a cursory look', 'For instance', 'Furthermore', and 'Similarly'. However, the progression of ideas is sometimes mechanical and repetitive, relying heavily on formulaic transitions rather than a seamless flow of information. Referencing and referencing phrases like 'the graph represents some of the households which were lowest' are slightly awkward. Paragraphing is adequate, but overall logical progression from a macro-overview to specific analytical groupings could be improved.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, incorporating terms like 'annual income', 'depicts', 'accounted at', and 'roughly'. There are attempts to use less common phrasing, though some word choices sound unnatural or unidiomatic in this context, such as 'On a cursory look' (which is more suited to a casual essay than an academic data report) and 'the graph represents some of the households which were lowest'. Spelling and basic word formation are generally accurate, but precision in describing statistical data is limited due to repetitive vocabulary choices.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The response demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing relative clauses ('households... which were increased') and prepositional phrases. However, there are noticeable grammatical awkwardness and minor errors in structure, such as 'depicts certain number of households' (missing article) and 'households... which were increased' (awkward passive construction where active or a simple adjective would suffice). Complex structures are sometimes attempted with faulty phrasing. Punctuation is generally correct, and errors do not severely impede communication, placing the response firmly at band 6.0.

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

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