Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · 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 6.5)

The bar chart compare the annual income of different number of households in the US in 2007, 2011, and 2015.

Overall, the number of households earnings $100,000 or more increased significantly in these three years, while households earnings $75,000–$99,999 represented the smallest share. In contrast, the figures of other income categories remained relatively stable.

Looking first at the figures of 2007 and 2011, number of households less then $25,000 stood at 25 million in 2007, while it increased to almost 29 million in 2011, whereas, number of households $25,000–$49,999 also increased significantly from 27 million in 2007 to 30 million in 2011. Moreover, categories $50,000–$74,999 and $75,000–$99,999 both were remained unchanged in 2007 and 2011, stood at 21 million and 14 million respectively. In addition, $100,000 or more category were highest in 2007, at around 29 million, and in 2011 it was slightly decreased to 27 million.

Turning to the remaining part, in 2015 figure of households $100,000 or more increased considerably around to 33 million. In contrast, number of households $25,000–$49,999 and less then $25,000 experienced drop in 2015. Moreover, $50,000–$74,999 and $75,000–$99,999 these two categories again remained relatively unchanged in 2015.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

You identify the main pattern clearly: the $100,000-or-more group rises substantially by 2015, while the middle-income groups are broadly stable. You also support this with relevant figures for 2007 and 2011, including 25 million for the lowest band and about 29–30 million for the $25,000–$49,999 band. The account is generally accurate, but some comparisons are over-generalised: the $75,000–$99,999 group was not unchanged throughout, rising from about 14 million in 2011 to 15 million in 2015. Likewise, the two lower-income groups fell only slightly in 2015, so “experienced drop” would be clearer with figures. The overview could also state that the highest-income group became the largest in 2015.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction, an overview, and two paragraphs that move from 2007–2011 to 2015. This gives the reader a logical route through the data, and linking expressions such as “Overall,” “Looking first,” and “Turning to” help signal progression. However, the grouping by time leaves some comparisons between income bands less easy to follow, and several transitions feel formulaic. For example, “Moreover” and “In addition” repeatedly introduce further figures without showing how they relate in importance. The final paragraph also makes broad claims without figures. Grouping the main rises, falls, and stable categories more explicitly, and using clearer references to the income bands, would make the progression more flexible and cohesive.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of task-related vocabulary, including “increased significantly,” “remained relatively stable,” “represented the smallest share,” and “decreased.” These choices communicate the main trends, and the income categories are generally identified precisely. Some word choices and collocations are less natural or imprecise, however: “the annual income of different number of households” does not accurately describe what the chart measures, and “increased considerably around to 33 million” is awkward. “Smallest share” is also less exact than describing the smallest number of households. Spelling errors such as “then” for “than” occur more than once. Aim for concise, conventional chart language and check spelling carefully to improve precision.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You attempt a mix of simple and complex sentences, including comparisons with “while” and “whereas,” and most of the data remains understandable. Some grammatical errors persist in agreement, verb forms, and sentence construction. For example, “The bar chart compare” needs a singular verb, while “households earnings” requires a possessive or a participle construction. The phrase “both were remained unchanged” combines incompatible verb forms, and “number of households … stood” is missing an article in several places. There are also awkwardly joined clauses, as in “whereas, number of households…,” where punctuation and clause structure need attention. Practise accurate noun phrases and past-tense reporting patterns; this will help your varied sentence forms read more smoothly.

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