Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-10-01

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 graph illustrates the numbers of households with respect to their income per year in the United States in 2007, 2011 and 2015.

Overall, the number of families earning the highest, fluctuated the most remaining at peak in 2007 and 2015. The number of middle most salary bracket families throughout all three years remained almost the same.

Households earning $100,000 or more were 29 million in 2007, this number declined to 27 million in 2011 and then increased considerably in 2015 to more than 33 million. The numbers of families with 75,000 to 99,999 annual salaries remained close to 15 million but never surpassed it.

Number of families in 50,000 to 74,999 salary bracket remained almost the some in three years. Figures for households with 25,000 to 49,999 salary range kept fluctuating between 25 to 30 million, increasing in 2011 and then slightly decreasing slightly in 2015. People earning less than 25,000 a year ranged at 25 million in 2007, 28 million in 2011 and around 27 million in 2015.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The response successfully addresses all parts of the task by providing an overview and selecting key data points to report and compare. The overview identifies the main trends, noting that households earning $100,000 or more fluctuated the most while the middle-income bracket remained stable. However, some aspects are under-developed or imprecise; for instance, the overview incorrectly states that the highest income group remained 'at peak in 2007 and 2015', whereas the chart shows it peaked significantly higher in 2015 (33.5 million) compared to 2007 (29.5 million). Furthermore, some reported figures contain minor inaccuracies compared to the visual data, such as stating that households earning $100,000 or more were '29 million in 2007' when the chart indicates approximately 29.5 million. Despite these minor discrepancies, the overall response covers the main features and successfully achieves a solid performance that meets the requirements for a good task response.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response exhibits a coherent overall arrangement with a clear attempt at logical progression. It is divided into logical paragraphs, beginning with an introduction, followed by an overview, and then detailed body paragraphs breaking down the income brackets. However, cohesion is sometimes faulty or mechanical. For example, the transitions between sentences can feel abrupt, and referencing is occasionally unclear, such as the phrase 'middle most salary bracket families' which lacks smooth integration. Paragraphing is utilised, but the grouping of information could be managed more effectively to enhance the flow of comparisons. To reach a higher level, the writer needs to employ a wider range of cohesive devices more flexibly and ensure that logical relationships between sentences and paragraphs are maintained without awkward phrasing.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The candidate demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting some less common lexical items such as 'fluctuated', 'considerably', and 'surpassed'. However, there are noticeable limitations and inaccuracies in word choice and collocation. For instance, phrases like 'middle most salary bracket' are unnatural, and there are repetitive patterns in how data is introduced. Additionally, there are minor spelling and word choice errors, such as writing 'some' instead of 'same' in the sentence 'remained almost the some in three years'. While these errors do not seriously impede communication, they restrict the score. To improve, the writer should incorporate more precise and natural collocation when describing statistical trends and expand their range of vocabulary.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response displays a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing structures like subordinate clauses ('while the middle most salary bracket families...'). There is good control over basic tense usage, successfully handling past years such as 2007, 2011, and 2015. Nevertheless, some errors in grammar and punctuation persist throughout the text. Examples include missing articles ('Number of families' instead of 'The number of families') and minor prepositional or structural awkwardness, such as 'decreasing slightly in 2015' following a redundant duplication ('decreasing slightly... slightly'). These errors rarely impede communication and do not obscure the meaning, fitting comfortably within the expected profile. To achieve higher bands, the writer should focus on reducing grammatical slips and increasing the frequency of error-free complex sentences.

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