Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · 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 6.5)

The chart gives information about US families income in three different years, in millions.

Overall, households annual income from $75,000 to $99,999 represented the smallest share in the chart. There was a sharp increase in incomes at $100,000 or more in 2015, while people who earned less than $25,000 and from $25,000 to $49,999 presented a small fluctuation in the three years.

Households who earned $100,000 or more accounted for the highest figure in 2007, with around 29 million, and 2015 with around 32.5 milion, in 2011 this number fell to around 27,5 million. In comparison, the annual income ranged from $75,000 to 99,999 were the smallest presented in the three years, with 2007 being close to 15 million, 2011 around 14 million, and 2015 at 15 million.

Regarding those who earned less than $25,000 and from $25,000 to $49,999, it flutuated from 25 million and 26 million in 2007, to a peak at 29 and nearly 30 million, and a small decrease to around 27,5 and 28 million respectivelly. Finally, annual income from $50,000 to 74,9999 the numbers were similar in 2007, 2011 and 2015, with around just over 20 million households in this group.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

The response addresses the task with a clear overview and selects the main patterns: the $75,000–$99,999 group is consistently the smallest, the $100,000-or-more group rises strongly by 2015, and the two lower-income groups fluctuate modestly. It also supports these points with figures across all three years. Some details are imprecise: for example, the 2015 figure for $100,000 or more is about 33.5 million, rather than 32.5 million, and the 2007 figure for $25,000–$49,999 is about 27 million, not 26 million. These small inaccuracies do not undermine the overall account, but more careful reporting would make the comparisons more precise.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The information is organised logically, moving from an overview to the highest- and lowest-income groups, then to the remaining categories. Paragraphing helps distinguish the main summary from supporting details, and linking expressions such as “Overall,” “In comparison,” and “Finally” guide the reader through the report. The progression is clear, although some transitions feel formulaic, and the final sentence is awkwardly constructed, making the relationship between the income band and its figures less smooth. To strengthen cohesion further, use more direct topic sentences and ensure that references such as “this number” and “it” clearly identify the group being discussed.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The response uses an adequate range of task-related vocabulary, including “accounted for,” “represented,” “peak,” “fluctuation,” and “small decrease.” These choices allow the main trends to be communicated, though some phrasing is imprecise or unnatural: “US families income” and “annual income ranged” do not clearly describe household counts within income bands. There are also spelling errors, including “milion,” “flutuated,” and “respectivelly,” which show that written accuracy needs attention. Aim for consistent, precise terms such as “households in the income bracket” and “the number of households,” and proofread spelling and word forms before submitting.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

There is a mix of simple and more complex sentence forms, including a contrast introduced by “while” and a comparison beginning “In comparison.” Most of the meaning remains clear, but some grammatical errors occur. For example, “households annual income” needs a possessive form or a different construction, and “Finally, annual income from $50,000 to 74,9999 the numbers were similar” lacks a clear grammatical link between the subject and its description. The sentence beginning “Households who earned…” also has an awkwardly placed time phrase. Practise forming complete clauses with a clear subject and verb, and check possessives, articles, and punctuation when combining several comparisons.

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