Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-10-02

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 households in US by their annual income in 2007, 2011 and 2015.

Overall, it is clear that the families who had $100,000 or above than it had the highest proportion in 2007 and 2015 but the people who have annual income between $25,000 and $49,999 had figure highest in 2011. Households with $75,000- $99,999 had the lowest figure in the every given time period. Numbers of households was measured in millions.

At a fleeting glance, households who had $100,000 or more had the highest proportion in 2007 at 29%, which had fall to 27% in 2011 but it rapid grow to 34% in 2015. Followed by households, who had annual income above than $25,000 and below than $49,999. In 2007, it figure at 26% but after, it was marked highest in 2011 at 30%. It slightly decrease to 28% in 2015.

Meanwhile, people below $25,000 annual income was 25% in 2007 and rise up to 29% in 2011, had a moderately fall in 2015 at 28%. Households who had annual income from $50,000 to $74,999 had no significantly change, it holds 21% of households in every year. people who had $75,000-$99,999 had the least proportion in every year 14% in 2007 and 2011 and had increase 1% in 2015.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The response addresses all parts of the task by selecting and reporting the main features of the chart across the three given years, earning a solid foundation in this criterion. An overview is present, identifying key trends such as the dominance of the highest income bracket and the stability of the middle tier. However, the response sits at a half-band level because some ideas and comparisons are slightly under-developed or imprecise. For instance, the student reports percentages rather than absolute values in millions as depicted on the vertical axis (e.g., stating 'at 29%' instead of 29 million), which misrepresents the units of the data. Furthermore, while the main features are highlighted, a more thorough and extended comparison between the income groups would push the response into higher territory.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response demonstrates a coherent overall arrangement with a clear attempt to structure the information logically into an introduction, an overview, and subsequent detail paragraphs. Cohesive devices are employed to guide the reader through the data, such as 'Overall', 'At a fleeting glance', and 'Meanwhile'. However, cohesion is at times mechanical and referencing is occasionally faulty, such as the awkward transition 'Followed by households, who had annual income...'. Paragraphing is utilized, but the internal flow within paragraphs feels slightly disjointed due to abrupt shifts between income categories and years. To reach the next level, the student needs to ensure smoother logical progression and more precise use of referencing words to connect ideas fluidly without repetition or clunky transitions.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, successfully communicating the general trends shown in the visual data. The student attempts less common vocabulary and phrases, such as 'highest proportion', 'moderately fall', and 'least proportion', demonstrating a sufficient range for basic flexibility. However, there are notable inaccuracies in word choice, collocation, and word formation, such as 'had fall to' instead of 'had fallen to', 'rapid grow' instead of 'rapid growth', 'it figure at' instead of 'its figure was at', and 'significantly change' instead of 'significant change'. These lexical errors and awkward phrasings prevent the response from achieving a higher band. Expanding precise vocabulary related to data trends and checking word forms would significantly strengthen this area.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response displays a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, attempting relative clauses and time markers. However, grammatical control is limited, with frequent errors in verb tenses, subject-verb agreement, and prepositions within structures. Examples of errors include 'the families who had $100,000 or above than it had', 'people who have annual income', 'Numbers of households was measured', and 'had increase 1%'. Tense consistency is also an issue, jumping inappropriately between past and present forms when describing historical data from 2007, 2011, and 2015. These errors place the writing firmly in the lower range, requiring a stronger command of complex structures, accurate verb forms, and better error-free sentence generation.

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