Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-10-14

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 number of us households, in millions, across five different annual income group in 2007,2011,and 2015. overall, the number of household earning $100,000 or more increased considerably and became the largest group in 2015. In contrast , the figures for the other income group showed relatively smaller changes over the period.

In 2007, approximately 25 million household earned less than $ 25,00, while around 27 million belonged to the $25,000 to $ 49,999 income group. the number of households earning between $50,000 and 74,999 was about 21 million. meanwhile, about 14 million households earned between $75,000and $99,999 campared with 30 million in the highest income category.

By 2011, the number of households earning less than $25,000 had risen to around 29 million, while the $25,000 to $49,999. the figure for the middle income groups remaind relatively stable. in 2015, the highest income gruop increased to about 35million household.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the chart’s subject and give a relevant overview: the $100,000-or-more group rises and becomes the largest by 2015, while most other categories change less. Several 2007 figures are also broadly accurate. However, coverage is uneven and some key comparisons are missing. The account stops short of describing the 2015 figures for the lower and middle income groups, and the 2011 sentence about the $25,000–$49,999 group is unfinished, so its trend is unclear. The middle groups are described as stable, but the $75,000–$99,999 category dips slightly in 2011 before rising in 2015. Include the main movements across all three years and complete the comparisons to make the summary more fully developed.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall arrangement: an introduction and overview are followed by chronological paragraphs for 2007 and later years. Linking expressions such as “In contrast,” “Meanwhile,” and “By 2011” help signal relationships and time. However, progression becomes difficult to follow in the final paragraph because “while the $25,000 to $49,999” is left without a completed comparison, and the 2015 information is very limited. The paragraph also shifts from 2011 to 2015 without clearly separating the trends. Use complete sentences and organise the body either by year or by income-group trends, with each comparison clearly connected to its figures.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of task-related vocabulary, including “income group,” “increased considerably,” “relatively stable,” and “highest income category.” These choices communicate the main subject and some trends. However, spelling and word-form errors are noticeable, including “campared,” “remaind,” and “gruop,” and some phrasing is imprecise or incomplete, such as “the middle income groups” and “the $25,000 to $49,999” without a stated figure or trend. Use consistent, accurate labels for the income bands and choose verbs that describe the data precisely. Proofreading spelling and completing phrases would make the report clearer and more controlled.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mixture of simple and more complex sentences, including the contrast in “overall, the number … increased considerably … In contrast…” and the time clause beginning “By 2011.” Most of the intended meaning is understandable. Some grammatical errors nevertheless reduce accuracy: “annual income group” and “number of household” need plural forms, and “the $25,000 to $49,999” is an incomplete clause. Capitalisation and punctuation are also inconsistent, for example “the number” after a full stop and missing spaces after commas in the opening sentence. Check subject–noun agreement, sentence completeness, and punctuation, then vary sentence structures while keeping each comparison grammatically complete.

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