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 chart illustrates the household count in the USA according to their annual income in 2007, 2011, and 2015.

Overall, the number of households with varying income levels had increased by the end of the period, despite a minor fluctuation in one category. Notably, the household count earning $100,000 or more increased dramatically, becoming the most popular category by the end.

Firstly, in 2007 households generating annual income of less than $25,000 had increased significantly in 2011 at approximately just below 30 million before experiencing a minimal decline in 2015. The number of households generating up to $50,000 followed the same trend, reaching 30 million in 2011.

In addition, the household count earning between $50,000-$75,000 annually recorded the same throughout the period at just over 20 million. Moreover, households with salaries of $100,000 were the highest in 2007, climbed to approximately 34 million in 2015 after facing a substantial decrease in 2011. Households with an annual income of $75,000-$99,999 had the lowest number over the eight-year period, comprising approximately 14-15 million.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The student successfully addresses all parts of the task by providing an overview of the main trends and reporting key features from the chart, such as the peak in the $100,000 or more income bracket by 2015. Comparisons are made effectively across categories and years. However, there are a few minor inaccuracies in data reporting; for example, the text states that households earning between $50,000 and $75,000 recorded the same throughout the period at 'just over 20 million', whereas the chart shows it precisely at 21 million across all three years. Furthermore, the description of the $100,000 or more group contains a slight misinterpretation of the 2011 figure, claiming a substantial decrease when it dropped from 29.5 to 27.5 million before rising to 33.5 million. Despite these minor data reading errors, the response covers the core visual data comprehensively and establishes a clear overview.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The response is logically organized with a clear overall progression from an introductory statement to an overview paragraph and detailed body paragraphs. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate different income categories. Cohesive devices are employed to link ideas, such as 'Overall', 'Notably', 'Firstly', 'In addition', and 'Moreover'. However, some cohesive links and referential phrases are slightly mechanical or awkward, such as starting a body paragraph with 'Firstly, in 2007 households... had increased significantly in 2011', which mixes temporal markers confusingly. Additionally, referencing could be smoother, but the logical sequence remains clear throughout the essay.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

The student demonstrates an adequate to good range of vocabulary appropriate for an academic task, utilizing terms such as 'illustrates', 'fluctuation', 'dramatically', 'experience a minimal decline', and 'substantial decrease'. There are occasional slight inaccuracies or awkward collocations in word choice, such as 'the household count earning $100,000 or more' instead of 'households earning', and 'recorded the same throughout the period' instead of 'remained constant'. Spelling and word formation are generally accurate, and the vocabulary used is sufficient to communicate the main features of the chart with some precision.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

The response displays a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, including relative clauses and participial phrases (e.g., 'before experiencing a minimal decline in 2015', 'households generating annual income of less than $25,000 had increased significantly...'). Grammatical control is generally good, but there are some tense and aspect inconsistencies. For instance, using the past perfect ('had increased significantly in 2011') is unnecessary and slightly awkward when describing simple past events. There are also occasional minor punctuation lapses, but overall, errors do not impede communication and the majority of sentences are constructed correctly.

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

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