Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-10-05

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 6.5)

The bar chart illustrates the number of households in millions in the USA by their annual income in 2007,2011 and 2015.

Overall,number of households having anual income $[redacted phone] or more remained highest despite a fall in 2011. However, number of households having income between $50000 to $74999 and $75000 to $99999 remained relatively stable in all three years. By contrast number of households having income less than $25000 and between $25000 to $49999 intially increased but at the end decreased.

Number of households having annual income $[redacted phone] or above was highest in 2015 which was around 34 millions while it is lowest in 2011 which was around 26 millions. Number of households having income between $25000 to $49999 increased intially from around 26 millions in 2007 to 30 millions in 2011 but at the end in 2015 it decreased to 27 millions.

Finally, number of households having income between $50000 to $74000 and $75000 to $99999 remained relatively stable in all three years, by contrast number of households having income less than $25000 intially increased from 25 millions in 2007 to around 29 millions in 2011. In 2015 it decreased to around 26 millions.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

The response successfully covers all parts of the task by reporting the main features of the US household income chart across the three specified years. An overview is provided, highlighting key trends such as the highest numbers for the top income bracket and stability in the middle brackets. Relevant data points are selected and cited, such as the peak of around 34 million for households earning $100,000 or more in 2015. However, some ideas are slightly under-developed or repetitive, particularly in the body paragraphs where minor points are re-stated without extending the analysis further. There are also occasional minor inaccuracies in specific data reporting, such as rounding variations, but these do not detract from the overall clear summary.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The text demonstrates a coherent overall arrangement with a logical progression from an introductory summary to detailed body paragraphs. Paragraphing is used to separate the overview from the body details, contributing to the structural organization. However, cohesion is at times mechanical or faulty, with repetitive sentence starters like "Number of households having..." used consecutively. Referencing is occasionally unclear, and transitional phrases lack smooth integration, making the flow somewhat disjointed in places. While the logical sequence is maintained throughout, these cohesive weaknesses prevent the writing from achieving a higher level of integration.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, successfully conveying numerical data and general trends such as "highest", "stable", "increased", and "decreased". The writer attempts some less common vocabulary items, though with noticeable inaccuracy in word choice and spelling, such as "anual" instead of "annual" and "intially" instead of "initially". Word form and collocation are generally sufficient to communicate the message clearly without impeding the reader's understanding, but the range remains somewhat limited and repetitive, reflecting a standard Band 6 lexical profile.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The response employs a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating attempts at subordinate clauses and comparative structures. There are some errors in grammar and punctuation, such as missing articles ("Overall, number of households..." and "By contrast number of households..."), lack of commas in large numbers, and minor prepositional inconsistencies. However, these errors rarely impede communication and the meaning remains clear throughout. The control over basic structures is sound, though complex sentences occasionally contain minor flaws, placing the grammatical performance firmly within the Band 6 category.

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