Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-09-21

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 chart illustrates annual income of number of households in USA. It is divided into three years: 2007, 2011, and 2015. The number of household is represented in millions, and income is divided into five categories.

Overall, the number of household income $100,000 or more increased considerably, while figures of other income showed moderate change through given period. Household income $50,000 to $74,999 remained unchanged throughout the period.

In 2000, there were almost 25 million households earning less than $25,000. The figure for households earning $50,000 to $74,999 was about 21 million. The highest income group accounted for approximately 29 million households.

By 2011, the ratio of households having income less than $25,000 rose to about 29 million, while households earning $100,000 or more showed a slight decrease with almost 27 million households.

In 2015, households earning $100,000 or more rose significantly to approximately 34million, while two lowest income groups stood at 28 and 29 million respectively. Household income dollars 75,000 to $99,999 showed a slight increase and accounted for 15 million households.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The student covers all parts of the task well, providing an overview and selecting key features and comparisons from the chart. The introduction accurately paraphrases the prompt, and the overview highlights the main trends, such as the significant increase in households earning $100,000 or more and the stability of the $50,000 to $74,999 bracket. Specific data points are cited across the body paragraphs, such as the figures for 2007, 2011, and 2015. There is a minor typo with a year reference ('In 2000' instead of 'In 2007'), but this does not prevent the response from adequately fulfilling the requirements of an Academic Task 1 response. The selection and reporting of data are accurate and relevant.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The response is logically organised with a clear structure consisting of an introduction, an overview, and distinct body paragraphs addressing different years. Information and ideas progress logically throughout the text. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the introduction/overview from the detailed body paragraphs. Cohesive devices are used adequately, such as 'Overall', 'By 2011', and 'In 2015', though referencing and transitions could be slightly smoother in places. For instance, the transition into the final paragraph feels a bit abrupt. However, overall cohesion is well managed, resulting in a clear and coherent progression of ideas.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student uses an adequate and fairly wide range of vocabulary for the task, successfully incorporating terms such as 'illustrates', 'considerably', 'moderate change', 'remained unchanged', and 'significantly'. There are some minor lexical inaccuracies and awkward phrasing, such as 'annual income of number of households' instead of 'the number of households by annual income', and 'ratio of households' when referring to raw numbers. Additionally, 'Household income dollars 75,000' contains a phrasing error. Despite these occasional errors in word choice and collocation, the vocabulary is sufficient to convey the intended meaning without impeding communication.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, including subordinate clauses and comparative structures. There are several grammatical errors present, such as missing articles ('the number of household', 'the figures of other income'), a typo in a year ('In 2000' instead of '2007'), and awkward prepositional use ('income of number of households'). Furthermore, '34million' lacks a space. However, many sentences are error-free, and the grammatical errors do not impede communication. The control of grammar and punctuation is generally adequate for a Band 6.0 level.

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