Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-09-20

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 6.5)

The bar charts demonstrate the number of US households in millions and their annual income for years 2007, 2011 and 2015.

Overall, the number of households with an annual income of $100,000 or more remained the highest in 2007 and 2015. Households with an income of $75,000-$99,999 fluctuated marginally for the provided years. Moreover, the number of households with income between $50,000-$74,999 remained unchanged for the three years mentioned.

In 2007, approximately 30 million households had an annual income of $100,000 or more which declined slightly in 2011. However, the income surged to the highest in 2015 with around 34 million households making this amount. 14 million households generated an income of $75,000-$99,999 in 2007, which decreased slightly in 2011 and then finally reached 15 million. An income of $50,000-$74,999 remained static for 21 million households.

Furthermore, the number of households with income between $25,000-$49,000 was more than households with income less than $25,000 in 2007, 2011 and 2015 respectively. In 2007, 25 million households received an income of less than $25,000 , which grew the most in 2011 and then again declined in 2015.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The candidate successfully addresses all parts of the prompt by summarising the main features of US household income across the three given years. An overview is provided in the second paragraph, correctly identifying that households making $100,000 or more remained the highest in 2007 and 2015, while highlighting stability in certain brackets like the $50,000-$74,999 range. Key data points are selected and accurately reported, such as noting that approximately 30 million households earned $100,000 or more in 2007 before dropping in 2011 and surging to around 34 million in 2015. Comparisons are made effectively between income categories, such as contrasting the brackets in the final paragraph. The response meets all the core requirements for Task Achievement at a Band 7.0 level.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The response is logically organised with a clear introduction, overview, and body paragraphs that group data logically. Progression is generally clear throughout the text. Cohesive devices are used to connect ideas, such as 'Overall', 'However', and 'Furthermore'. However, paragraphing could be slightly refined, and referencing is occasionally slightly loose, as seen in the phrase 'the income surged' where 'the income' refers back to a specific household bracket rather than monetary income itself. Paragraph transitions are functional, but the overall flow can feel slightly mechanical in places. This corresponds well to a Band 6.5 or 7.0; a Band 7 descriptor is well-supported by the clear logical organisation and paragraphing.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The student demonstrates a sufficient range of vocabulary for the task, successfully using terms such as 'fluctuated marginally', 'remained unchanged', 'surged', and 'static'. Less common vocabulary is attempted with reasonable success. There is a minor inaccuracy in the third paragraph where the candidate writes 'the income surged' instead of 'the number of households with this income surged', but this does not impede communication. Spelling and word choice are generally accurate, placing the lexical performance solidly within the Band 6.5 to 7.0 range.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

The candidate employs a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, including relative clauses and transitional prepositional phrases (e.g., 'In 2007, approximately 30 million households... which declined slightly in 2011'). There is good control of past and present tense usage for reporting data. Grammatical accuracy is generally high, with frequent error-free sentences, though minor awkwardness occurs, such as 'was more than households with income less than $25,000 in 2007, 2011 and 2015 respectively', which is an awkward application of 'respectively' given the preceding comparison. Overall grammar control aligns with a Band 7.0.

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