Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-09-23

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 chart illustrates the number of US households across five income brackets in 2007, 2011, and 2015.

Overall, the clearest trend is that household earning $100,000 or more grew steadily, while those in lower income groups either fell or stayed about the same.

In 2007, roughly 25 million household earned less than $25,000, but this figure dropped a little by 2015. The $25,000-$49,999 group also fell, from close to 30 million to under 28 million.

Middle-income categories($50,000-$74,999 and $75,000-$99,999) showed only minor changes, keeping up around their original levels.

The highest income group expanded noticeably. starting at about 22 million householad in 2007, it climbed to nearly 30 million by 2015, overtaking all other categories. This shifts suggests that more families were moving into higher income brackets over time.

In short, while the lower and middle ranges either shrank or remained stable, the number of high- income households rose sharply, making a clear upward trend in wealth distribution

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The student successfully addresses all parts of the task by providing an overview of the main trends across the five income brackets and making relevant comparisons. Key features, such as the significant growth in households earning $100,000 or more and the stability or decline in lower and middle brackets, are highlighted. However, there are some minor factual inaccuracies regarding the data. For instance, the student states that households earning less than $25,000 'dropped a little by 2015', whereas the chart shows an increase from 25 million in 2007 to 28 million in 2015 (following a peak in 2011). Similarly, the highest income group is stated to have started at 'about 22 million', when the chart clearly indicates 29.5 million. Despite these data reading errors, the overall reporting is clear and covers the necessary features.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response is logically organized with a clear introduction, an overview paragraph, body paragraphs addressing specific income groups, and a concluding summary. Cohesive devices such as 'Overall', 'In 2007', and 'In short' are used appropriately to guide the reader through the data. Paragraphing is sufficient and logical, separating the lower/middle income brackets from the highest income group effectively. Referencing is mostly clear, though the progression could be slightly smoother in places, preventing it from reaching a higher band score.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary suitable for the task, including terms like 'income brackets', 'minor changes', and 'wealth distribution'. There are, however, several lexical and grammatical errors involving word forms and singular/plural agreement, such as 'household earning' instead of 'households earning' and 'householad' (a spelling error). Less common vocabulary is attempted with mixed success, but communication is not impeded.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, such as 'while the lower and middle ranges either shrank or remained stable, the number of high-income households rose sharply'. While there is a reasonable variety of structures, grammatical accuracy is inconsistent. Errors include pluralization issues ('roughly 25 million household') and a typo ('householad'). Punctuation is generally acceptable, and while errors occur, they rarely impede communication.

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