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 chart illustrates, the figure of households in the US by their annual income in 2007, 2011 and 2015.

overall, the figures showed different trends through out the period.while Households earning $100,000 or more recorded the highest figure by the end of the period, earnings $75,000–$99,999 remained the lowest.meanwhile, the data exibited mix trends with some categories increasing and other showed noticeable changes.

to begin with,household earnings $ 100,000 or more accounted for highest figure in 2007 it stood out around 30 million which decreses slighly in 2011 to around 28 million.whereas,those earning $50,000-$74,999 remained relatively stable through out the period.while households earning less than $25,000 accounted for approximately 25 million in 2007 before increasing to 30 million in 2011.and then falling slightly to about 28 million in 2015.this was followed by income $25000-$49,999 which stood at around 26 million in 2007 and then increased to 30 million in 2011 followed by slight decrease to around 29 million in 2015.Likewise, the $75,000–$99,999 group was the smallest, fluctuating only slightly between 14 and 15 million.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You cover the main income groups and provide a relevant overview: the $100,000-or-more category is highest in 2015, while $75,000–$99,999 is consistently the smallest. Most reported figures and trends are close to the chart, including the stability of the $50,000–$74,999 group and the rise then slight fall in the two lower-income groups. To make the summary more complete, include the notable 2015 peak of about 33.5 million in the highest-income category; your account stops at its 2011 decline. The overview’s claim that categories showed “noticeable changes” is also broad, since one group was stable and another fluctuated only slightly. The response identifies the key features, but some comparisons are less fully developed than others.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and a body paragraph that reports figures by income group. Sequencing is generally understandable, and phrases such as “before increasing,” “and then falling slightly,” and “Likewise” help show changes and comparisons. However, the body is presented as one long paragraph, and several sentences run together without appropriate capitalisation or punctuation, making the progression harder to follow. The repeated use of “while” and “and then” can also feel mechanical, and the relationship between some clauses is unclear—for example, “whereas” follows a sentence without a clear contrasting structure. Use separate body paragraphs and vary linking devices to make comparisons more explicit.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of task-related vocabulary, including “accounted for,” “remained relatively stable,” “fluctuating,” and “approximately.” These choices help describe quantities and trends, and the income categories are generally identified clearly. Some word choices and collocations are inaccurate or imprecise, however: “the figure of households” is less natural than “the number of households,” and “recorded the highest figure” could be made more specific by naming the category or value. There are also spelling errors such as “exibited,” “decreses,” and “slighly,” which reduce accuracy. Aim for precise, consistent trend language and check spelling, especially in key overview statements.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including clauses with “before,” “while,” and “which,” and the main trends are usually understandable. Some grammatical and punctuation errors remain. For example, “Households earning $100,000 or more recorded the highest figure in 2007 it stood…” joins two independent clauses without suitable punctuation or a conjunction. In “before increasing to 30 million in 2011. and then falling,” the sentence is incorrectly split and the following word is not capitalised. Capital letters are also missing at the starts of sentences, and commas are often absent after introductory phrases. Use shorter, complete sentences where needed, and check clause boundaries, sentence capitals, and punctuation.

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