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 bar chart elucidate compare the number of household in the US based on five different annual income in 2007,2011 and 2015.

Taking a general overview, it is clear that the highest income group ( 100,000 ) increased the most and become the largest group in 2015. In contrast, the 75,000 to 99,000 group was the smallest throughout the period.

In detail, in 2007, total 29 million US households earned 100,000 or more. This number dropped slightly to just under 27 million in 2011, before rising significantly to peak at nearly 35 million in 2015. Moreover

the number of households earning between 75,000 and 99,000 stayed relatively stable, and around 14 to 15 million across all three years.

Moving further , the lowest income less than 25,000 and the 25,000 to 49,000 group similar figures, both hovering between 25 and 30 million. Lastly, remained completely steady at exactly 21 million in 2007, 2011, and 2015.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The response successfully addresses all parts of the task by reporting the main features and making relevant comparisons across the years 2007, 2011, and 2015. You provide a clear overview at the beginning, noting that the highest income group increased the most while the $75,000 to $99,000 group remained the smallest. Key data points are selected accurately, such as the peak of nearly 35 million for households earning $100,000 or more in 2015 and the stability of the middle-income group at 21 million. However, some ideas are slightly under-developed or less fully articulated than others, such as the grouping of the lowest two categories in the final paragraph, which lacks precise referencing to distinct trends. To reach a higher level, ensure that every category is clearly distinguished with fully supported data points and a more seamless extension of comparative insights.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response maintains a coherent overall arrangement with a logical progression from an introductory overview into detailed body paragraphs. You make good use of introductory cohesive phrases like 'Taking a general overview', 'In detail', and 'Moving further'. However, cohesion is occasionally faulty or mechanical. For instance, referencing and structural links stumble in places, such as the sentence starting with 'Moreover the number...' and the disjointed ending in the final paragraph where 'Lastly, remained completely steady' lacks a clear subject. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the overview from the specific data groups, but smoother transitions between sentences and clearer pronoun referencing are needed to achieve a more fluid and sophisticated logical flow.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, allowing you to convey the main trends effectively. You attempt some less common vocabulary and appropriate statistical terms, such as 'highest income group', 'relatively stable', 'peak', and 'hovering'. However, there are noticeable inaccuracies in word choice and expression, such as 'elucidate compare' in the opening sentence and awkward phrasing like 'group similar figures'. Spelling and word-choice errors are present, but they do not impede communication. To reach a higher lexical band, you should incorporate a wider variety of precise academic collocations and ensure that word forms and verbs (such as using 'compare' correctly or avoiding redundant verb pairings) are handled with greater precision.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing structures such as introductory dependent clauses ('Taking a general overview, it is clear that...') and comparative clauses. There are, however, some noticeable errors in grammar and punctuation. For example, there is a missing preposition and article in 'compare the number of household in the US', subject-verb agreement issues in 'the lowest income less than 25,000 and the 25,000 to 49,000 group similar figures', and missing subjects or fragments like 'Lastly, remained completely steady'. While these errors do not impede overall communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent the writing from achieving a higher level of grammatical control. Focusing on careful proofreading of sentence completeness and subject-verb agreement will help improve accuracy.

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

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