Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-09-24

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 number of households in the US is given in the chart, followed by their yearly income in the year 2007, 2011 and 2015.

Overall, the annual income of people with $100,000 or more is consecutively highest in 2015 than in previous years. Whereas, the ratio of individuals with their yearly income ranking from $25,000 to $49,999 reached its maximum point in the year 2011, as compared to other two years. Consequently, there is a little to no change in the other two salary structures.

The annual income scoring $100,000 or more was the salary of approximately 33 million individuals, thus being the greatest number of people with this income. While in 2007, the ratio of same cash amount was given to people around 29.5 million, and declined in 2011 with 27 million people having this income per year.

Another income structure of $75,000-$99,999 was given to 15 million US households, having a decline in past years of about 14.5 million and 14 million in the year 2007 and 2011 respectively.

The majority of people upto 30 million in 2011 had their yearly salary of $25,000-$49,999, while the other two years have a less value of 22 million in 2007 and 29 million in 2015.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The student covers all parts of the task by reporting key features and making comparisons across the three given years. An overview is attempted in the second paragraph, though some phrasing is confusing, such as stating that the income of $100,000 or more is 'consecutively highest in 2015 than in previous years.' Most of the main data points are correctly identified, such as the peak for the highest income bracket in 2015 at around 33.5 million and the middle bracket in 2011. However, some data readings contain inaccuracies compared to the visual reference, such as claiming the majority in 2011 for the $25,000–$49,999 bracket was 'upto 30 million' when the chart shows 29.5, and stating 22 million for 2007 when the chart shows 27. Overall, the task is addressed adequately, placing it within Band 6.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response is organized into logical paragraphs, beginning with an introduction and overview, followed by body paragraphs detailing specific income brackets. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'Overall', 'Whereas', 'Consequently', and 'While', though some transitions are mechanically forced or logically strained, such as starting a sentence with 'Consequently, there is a little to no change' following a comparison of peaks. Paragraphing is generally appropriate, and referencing mostly works, though some sentences are dense and difficult to follow, impacting overall progression. This corresponds to Band 6 descriptors.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The student demonstrates an adequate vocabulary range for the task, attempting less common terms such as 'consecutively', 'maximum point', and 'salary structures'. However, there are noticeable inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as using 'ratio' instead of 'number' or 'proportion' ('the ratio of individuals with their yearly income'), 'scoring' instead of 'of' ('The annual income scoring $100,000 or more'), and 'less value' instead of 'lower figure'. Spelling is generally correct, but vocabulary control is inconsistent. This performance fits Band 6.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing relative clauses and subordinate structures. However, grammatical errors are frequent throughout the text. Examples include awkward phrasing and prepositions ('given in the chart, followed by their yearly income', 'ratio of same cash amount was given to people around'), tense shifts, and modifier issues ('having a decline in past years of about 14.5 million and 14 million in the year 2007 and 2011 respectively'). While these errors do not completely impede communication, they persist across sentences and limit the response to Band 5.0.

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

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