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 of households in the United States across five variant annual income categories in 2007, 2011 and 2015.

Overall, the number of households earning $ 100,000 or more increased considerably over the period, making this the largest income categories by 2015. Whereas, the figures of middle-income remained stable and number of households earning $75,000-$99,999 was consistently lowest.

In 2007, approximately 25 million households earned less than $25,000 compared with around 27 million in the $25,000- $49,999 bracket. The figures for households earning $50,000- $74,999 and $75,000-$99,999 were approx 21 million and 14 million. Meanwhile, the highest-income category accounted for roughly 29 million households.

In year 2011 and 2015, the number of householdsearning less than $25,000 had risen, while the $25,000- $49,999 category rosed slightly approximately 29 million. The middle figure remained relatively unchanges and the number of households earning at least $100,000 declined in 2011 and sharply surged upto 32 million in 2015.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You identify the main overall pattern: the $100,000-or-more group rises substantially and becomes the largest by 2015, while the $50,000–$74,999 group stays broadly stable. Your 2007 figures are also generally close to the chart. This covers the key features, but some comparisons are less fully reported: the lowest-income group rises to about 28–29 million by 2011 and then edges down, and the $25,000–$49,999 group also falls slightly from its 2011 peak by 2015. The statement that the $75,000–$99,999 category was “consistently lowest” is inaccurate, since the $100,000-plus group was lower in 2011. Include these changes and qualify the ranking to make the overview more precise.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear four-paragraph structure, moving from an introduction and overview to figures for 2007 and then later years. This gives the reader a coherent overall route through the information. Linking expressions such as “Overall,” “Whereas,” and “Meanwhile” help signal relationships, although “Whereas” begins a fragment-like contrast and the final paragraph groups several trends without clearly separating the income bands or years. The reference to “the middle figure” is also not fully precise, as it could refer to more than one category. Organise the final comparisons more explicitly—for example, describe the two lower-income groups together, then the stable middle band, and finally the highest-income group.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use a suitable range of chart vocabulary, including “illustrates,” “income categories,” “accounted for,” “remained relatively,” and “surged.” These choices make the report’s purpose clear, and the income brackets are generally identified accurately. However, several word-choice, collocation, and spelling problems reduce precision: “five variant annual income categories” is unnatural, “middle-income” is vague, and “the largest income categories” uses the wrong form. There are also errors such as “ro sed” (intended as “rose”), “unchanges,” and “upto.” Aim for standard collocations such as “income bands” and “the largest category,” and check spelling and spacing carefully. More precise verbs for small rises and falls would also help distinguish the trends.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mix of simple and more complex structures, including the contrast in “Whereas, the figures…” and the comparison beginning “In 2007… compared with…”. Most of the intended meaning remains understandable, but some grammatical errors recur. For example, “the largest income categories” has a number-agreement problem, “number of households” needs an article or determiner, and “In year 2011 and 2015” is not a well-formed time phrase. The final sentence also combines several trends in a way that makes the relationships difficult to follow. Avoid starting a sentence with “Whereas” unless you complete the contrast, and use clear past-tense clauses with explicit subjects for each category.

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