Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-10-09

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 graph illustrates the number households in million, divided into the five different categories based on their annual income in three different years e.g 2007, 2011 and 2015 in the US.

Overall, the income category $100,000 or more had the highest number of households in all three years. Whereas , the category $75,000-$99,999 accounted for the lowest figures. Moreover, all three remaining categories e.g ( less than $25,000, $25,000-$49,999 and $50,000-$74,999 ) showed a minor fluctuation over the period.

To commence with, the category less than $25,000 constituted 25 million households in 2007, which slightly bumped to 28 million in 2011 and remained constant in the following year. However, the category $25,000-$49,999 significantly increased to 30 million in 2011 from 27 million in 2007 before dropping to 28 million households in 2015. Conversely, the category $100,000 or more first dropped to 27 million in 2011 from 30 million in 2007 before drastically increasing to 33 million in 2015.

On the other hand, the category $50,000-$74,999 were constant throughout the years. While, the category $75,000-$99,999 represented slight variation of 2 million households from year 2007 to 2011 and recovered at the end.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You provide a clear overview, identifying the $100,000-or-more group as the largest and the $75,000–$99,999 group as the smallest, and you report the main movements across the period. Several figures are close to the chart, including the rise and subsequent fall in the $25,000–$49,999 group and the sharp increase in the highest-income group by 2015. This meets the task well, with some features selected and compared. However, the overview is not fully accurate: the highest-income group was not largest in 2011, when the $25,000–$49,999 group was slightly higher. Also, the $75,000–$99,999 group rose slightly from 2011 to 2015, rather than simply “recovering,” and the $50,000–$74,999 group was stable. More precise comparisons would strengthen the report.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a coherent overall structure: an introduction, an overview, and two paragraphs presenting the figures. The information generally progresses by income category, and linking expressions such as “However,” “Conversely,” and “On the other hand” help signal contrasts. At times, though, these transitions feel mechanical or do not express the relationship precisely. For example, “On the other hand” introduces another category rather than a clear opposing point, while “Whereas” begins a sentence fragment after the overview’s first statement. The final paragraph also places two separate categories together without a clear comparison. Grouping the income bands more deliberately and using fewer, more exact connectors would make the progression smoother and referencing clearer.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of vocabulary for describing chart data, including “constituted,” “increased,” “dropping,” “remained constant,” and “slight variation.” These choices make the main trends understandable, and the income categories are identified consistently. Some word choices and collocations are less natural or imprecise, however. “Bumped” is informal for an academic report, “recovered” does not clearly describe the small rise in the final category, and “represented slight variation of 2 million” is awkward. There is also repetition of “category” and “households.” Aim for more precise reporting verbs and natural collocations, while keeping the language formal. This would improve flexibility and accuracy without requiring unnecessarily complex vocabulary.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, including relative clauses such as “which slightly bumped to 28 million” and contrast structures such as “before dropping to 28 million.” Most of the meaning remains clear, but some grammatical errors occur. The opening says “the number households in million,” missing necessary grammatical elements; “the category … were constant” has subject–verb disagreement; and “While, the category…” is an incorrectly punctuated fragment. There are also inconsistent spaces around punctuation and parentheses. Practise accurate article and plural use, agreement, and sentence boundaries, especially when beginning a sentence with “whereas” or “while.” More consistent control of these basics would make the varied structures more effective.

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