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 graph compares the number of families in the US according to their annual income.

Overall, majoity of the people in the US had annual incomes greater than 1 lac dollars. Whereas, residents with [redacted phone]9$ and [redacted phone]9$ salary remained steady. However, pupils with annual wages between 25000 dollars to 49999$ showed a sudden increase in their pay during 2011.

On the one hand, in 2007, nearly 25 million families had less than 25000$ yearly income. In contrast, this figure rosed to 28 million residents in 2011, but there was a slight reduction in 2015 with 26 million households. Moreover, people with annual wages between 25k $ to 49,999k $ showed a gradual increase from 26 million in 2007 to almost 30 million residents in 2011. However, this proportion was fallen by 2% in 2015, reaching 28 million.

On the other hand, families with yearly wages between 50k to 99,999k remained almost constant throughout all the years, constituting 20 million and 15 million households respectively. Finally, approximately 29 million residents had an annual income of 100,000$ or more in 2007. This figure rose substantially to 32 million people in 2015.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify several relevant patterns, including the rise in the $25,000–$49,999 group by 2011 and the broadly stable figures for middle-income households. However, the overview is not fully accurate: households earning $100,000 or more were not the largest group in every year, since the $25,000–$49,999 category was slightly higher in 2011. Some figures and trends also need closer checking: the under-$25,000 group was about 28 million in 2015, not 26 million, and the highest-income group reached about 33.5 million in 2015, rather than 32 million. The $75,000–$99,999 category rose slightly by 2015, while the $50,000–$74,999 group stayed level. A more precise overview and fuller coverage of these distinctions would strengthen the report.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction, an overview, and two paragraphs presenting details. The contrast markers “On the one hand” and “On the other hand” help signal a shift between groups, and the figures are generally presented in a sensible chronological order. However, the grouping is not always clear: the sentence combining the $50,000–$74,999 and $75,000–$99,999 categories gives their figures collectively, making it harder to see which value belongs to which band. “However” is also used repeatedly, sometimes where a simple continuation would be more logical. Grouping the income bands more precisely and using a wider range of linking and referencing choices would make progression smoother.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a reasonable range of vocabulary for describing data, including “gradual increase,” “slight reduction,” “remained steady,” and “rose substantially.” Nevertheless, several choices are inaccurate or unsuitable for this chart. “Pupils” does not refer to households, and “pay” suggests individual wages rather than household income. “Proportion” is also inappropriate when reporting a number of households, while “fallen by 2%” confuses a percentage with a change in millions. Some income labels are written in inconsistent shorthand, such as “25k $” and “49,999k $,” which reduces precision. Use consistent dollar ranges and terms such as “households,” “income band,” and “number” to describe the data accurately.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You attempt a mix of simple and complex sentences, including clauses with “whereas,” “but,” and “which,” and the main meaning is usually clear. Some grammatical errors remain, particularly with verb forms and sentence construction. For example, “this figure rosed” should use the past form “rose,” and “this proportion was fallen” should be “this figure fell” or “was reduced.” The overview fragment beginning “Whereas, residents…” is not a complete sentence as written, and “the majority of the people … had” needs an article and a more suitable subject for the chart. Check agreement and tense consistency, and make sure contrast clauses are attached to complete sentences. These corrections would improve accuracy while preserving your range of structures.

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