Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-10-08

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 depicts the number of households (in millions) by their annual income from 2007 to 2015.

Overall, the graph shows annual income has increased by 2015. Household making over 100,000$ fluctuated in 2011.

25 million of households were making less than 25,000$ in 2007 but a dramatic hike can be seen until year 2011 where nearly below 30 million households were making that much of annual income. By year 2015, there was a gradual decrease.

Family making 25,000$ to 49,999$ were just above 25 million households but reached up to 30 million in 2011. It also declined slightly by 2015 with just below 30. Family making 50,000 to 74,999 maintained the consistency of just above 20 million family throughout the time.

The number of family who made in between 75,000$ to 99,999$ were always less. The highest was 15 million households in 2015 and before that it was less than 15 million. Family making over 0.1 million were just below 30 million but it surpassed 30 million line in 2015.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You cover all five income groups and include a clear overview of the main movements: the two lower-income categories rise to a peak in 2011 before easing, the middle category stays stable, and the highest-income group reaches its maximum in 2015. Most figures are consistent with the chart, including the 25 million starting point for the lowest group and the 2015 high of over 30 million for households earning at least $100,000. This meets the task well, with some detail more fully reported than others. The overview claim that “annual income has increased by 2015” is too broad: the chart counts households, and several categories do not increase overall. Clarify that the highest-income group rises notably, while the other groups are stable or change only slightly.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a coherent overall arrangement: an introduction and overview are followed by descriptions of the income bands, and the time sequence is generally easy to follow. Phrases such as “By year 2015” and “before that” help signal changes. However, the overview is brief and imprecise, and the body reads mainly as a sequence of category-by-category statements rather than a clearly prioritised comparison. The repeated opening “Family making…” also makes the progression somewhat mechanical, while “It” in “It also declined slightly” has an unclear reference. Grouping the two lower-income bands together, then contrasting the stable middle bands with the rising highest band, would create stronger links and a clearer hierarchy of key features.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant chart vocabulary, including “fluctuated,” “maintained,” “gradual decrease,” and “surpassed,” and the income ranges are generally identifiable. This gives you enough language to describe the data, but some word choices and collocations are inaccurate or unnatural. “Annual income has increased” does not describe what the chart measures; use “the number of households in the highest income band increased.” “Dramatic hike” overstates a rise from 25 to about 28.5 million, and “Family making” is not a natural way to refer to households. The repeated use of “making” and “less” also limits precision. Choose neutral reporting verbs and vary expressions for household totals and small changes.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mix of simple statements and longer clauses, and the main comparisons can usually be understood. Some grammatical errors remain, particularly with agreement, articles, and sentence construction. For example, “Household making over 100,000$ fluctuated” needs a plural subject and a clearer construction, while “Family making 25,000$ to 49,999$ were” has a singular noun paired with a plural verb. In “The number of family who made…” the relative clause and noun form are not well controlled. There are also awkward structures such as “nearly below 30 million households were making that much.” Use “the number of households” as the subject, check singular/plural agreement, and form comparisons directly—for example, “the figure rose to about 28.5 million.”

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