Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-10-12

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 information about number of households with their annual income in the US in 2007, 2011, and 2015.

Overall, a large number of households annual income were $100,000 or more in the all years while smaller number of households holds $75,000-$99,999.

Looking at the details, $100,000 or more annual income was recorded for around 29 million houses in 2007, which slightly decreased to around 27 million in 2011 before reaching a 35 million. $75,000-$99,999 accounted for 14 to 15 million households in 2007,2011 and 2015.

21 million houses had $50,000-$74,999 annual income in the given years. However, almost 26 million houses had $25,000-$49,999 annual income in 2007. The number of housed gradually increased to 30 millionin 2011 before droping slightly to around 28 million in 2015. Less than $25,000 was recorded for around 25 million houses in 2007, 28 million houses in 2011 and 27 million houses in 2015 respectively.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You cover all five income groups and identify several important patterns, including the stability of the $50,000–$74,999 group and the rise in households earning at least $100,000 by 2015. The overview also attempts to compare the largest and smallest categories. However, it is not fully accurate: the $100,000+ group was not the largest in every year, since the $25,000–$49,999 group was slightly higher in 2011, and the $75,000–$99,999 group was not consistently the smallest. Some figures are also imprecise, such as “almost 26 million” for the $25,000–$49,999 group in 2007. More precise comparisons and a corrected overview would make the key features clearer and more fully supported.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction, an overview, and a paragraph presenting details. The sequence of income groups is generally easy to follow, and phrases such as “Looking at the details” and “However” help signal movement between points. Some connections are less effective, though. “However” does not express a clear contrast between the stable middle-income group and the next figure, and the final sentence lists three years without explaining the overall pattern. There is also a long run of figures in the detail paragraph, which makes comparisons harder to see. Grouping categories by similar trends and using more precise linking would create smoother progression.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant task vocabulary, including “accounted for,” “decreased,” “increased,” and “annual income,” so the main information is understandable. However, the range and control of word choice are limited, and some expressions are unnatural or imprecise: “houses” is repeatedly used where “households” is needed, while “a large number of households annual income” is not a clear phrase. “Reached a 35 million” is also an awkward way to report a figure. Spelling and spacing errors such as “droping” and “30 millionin” further reduce accuracy. Aim for consistent chart terminology and natural reporting phrases, such as “the figure stood at” or “rose to approximately.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple statements and longer sentences, including a relative clause in “which slightly decreased to around 27 million in 2011.” Most of the intended comparisons remain understandable, but some grammatical errors recur. For example, “a large number of households annual income were” lacks a clear grammatical relationship between households and income, and “in the all years” has an incorrect article construction. In “before reaching a 35 million,” the article is not appropriate before the number, while “The number of housed gradually increased” has an agreement and sentence-formation problem. Commas are also missing in the year list “2007,2011 and 2015.” More accurate noun phrases and careful editing would improve control.

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