Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-10-13

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 millions of households in the United States by their earning amount per yearly in 2007, 2011 and 2015.

Overall, It is clear that a large number of families were earning $[redacted phone] or more annually while the households who's income was &75000-$99999 were at the least position.

Firstly, who families who annual income range was less then $25,000 were at 25 million in 2007 and the number raised in 2011 to 29 million and became 28 million in 2015. Households who earned $25,000-$49,999 were at approximately at 27 million in 2007 and in 2011 it increased to 30 million, but till 2015 it fell and positioned at 29 million.

Moreover, families who had annual income of $50,000-$74,999 were at almost 21 million and in 2011 and 2015, it stood at the same position. Households of US who earned $75,000-$99,999 annually was at about 14 million in 2007, it decreased a bit in 2011 and became 15 in 2015. Lastly, families who's annual income was $100,000 or more were at almost 29 million and little bit decreased to 27 million in 2011 and finally became the highly positioned at almost 33 million in 2015.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You cover all five income groups and give a clear overview: the $100,000-or-more group reaches the highest level by 2015, while the $75,000–$99,999 group remains the smallest. Most figures and trends are accurately reported, including the rise and slight fall in the two lowest brackets and the stability of the $50,000–$74,999 group. This provides a relevant account of the chart. However, the overview could identify the main changes more precisely: the highest-income group falls in 2011 before rising sharply, and the two lowest brackets peak in 2011. Some details are also imprecise, such as saying the $75,000–$99,999 figure “decreased a bit” without giving its approximate value. A sharper overview and more precise comparisons would strengthen the response.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall structure, with an introduction, an overview and two body paragraphs that group the income categories. Sequencing expressions such as “Firstly,” “Moreover” and “Lastly” help the reader follow the account, and the information generally progresses from one bracket to the next. However, these transitions are somewhat mechanical, and the body paragraphs mostly list categories rather than organising them around meaningful comparisons or shared trends. Some references are awkward or unclear, particularly “who families” and “it stood at the same position,” where the reader must infer the subject. Grouping the figures by trend—for example, the categories that peak in 2011 versus the one that rises most by 2015—and using clearer references would make the progression more natural and cohesive.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use enough chart-related vocabulary to communicate the main information, including “increased,” “decreased,” “annually” and “approximately,” and the income bands are generally identified clearly. However, the range is limited and several choices are inaccurate or unnatural, which makes the description less precise. Phrases such as “earning amount per yearly,” “at the least position,” “raised” and “highly positioned” do not fit naturally in this context. There are also spelling and form errors, including “less then” and “who's” where a possessive form is intended. Aim for standard reporting language such as “number of households,” “rose to,” “remained stable” and “the lowest figure.” This would improve precision without requiring more elaborate vocabulary.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including clauses linked with “while,” “but” and “and,” and the overall meaning is usually recoverable. However, control is inconsistent, and errors occur in basic sentence construction as well as in longer sentences. For example, “Firstly, who families who annual income range was…” has an incomplete and confused clause structure; “Households … annually was” has subject–verb disagreement; and “in 2015, it stood at the same position” does not clearly connect the subject to the figure. Capitalisation after “Overall,” and punctuation around long, joined clauses also need attention. Build shorter, accurate sentences first, then add subordinate clauses, checking subject–verb agreement and sentence boundaries.

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