Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-10-15

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 following figure illustrates the number of households in the US by their annual income in 2007, 2011 and 2015.

Looking at the bar chart, It is clearly evident that the households in upper end of the spectrum have increased substantially compared to the ones in the lower end of the spectrum. The middle portion of the income distribution has also experienced some subtle changes.

On one hand, the number of families having income less than 25000 was around 25 million while families earning between 25000 to 50000 was at 26 million in 2007. Both the groups rose to 29 and 30 million respectively by the year 2011 and fell to around 27 and 28 million respectively in 2015.

On the other hand, the families in income bracket 50 to 75 thousands didn't notice any significant change. It increased by a million from 2007 to 2011 and dropped back down to its original value of 21 million in 2015. Similarly, the families earning between 75 thousands to 100 thousands were 14 millioin in 2007, it then decreased by a million in year 2011 and shot back upto 15 million at the end of 2015. The most drastic change is obsereved with the households having income 100 thousand or more. Their initial estimate was around 29 million in 2007, plummeting to roughly 26 million by 2011 and skyrocketing to upwards of 34 million by the end of 2015.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

You provide a clear overview of the broad pattern, noting that the highest-income group rose substantially by 2015 and that middle-income categories changed less. Most figures and trends are reported accurately, including the stable $50,000–$74,999 group and the sharp late rise in households earning $100,000 or more. However, the overview overgeneralises when it says households at the “upper end” increased substantially: the $75,000–$99,999 group changed only slightly, while the $25,000–$49,999 group peaked in 2011 and then fell. Some figures are also a little imprecise: the $50,000–$74,999 category stayed at about 21 million, rather than increasing by one million, and the top group was about 27.5 million in 2011. A more precise overview would distinguish these contrasting patterns.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response is organised into an introduction, an overview and two body paragraphs, and the categories are grouped in a generally logical way. Phrases such as “On one hand” and “Similarly” help signal relationships between the data. This gives the report a coherent overall progression. However, the contrast markers are somewhat mechanical, and “On the other hand” does not establish a clear contrast with the preceding paragraph. The overview also makes a broad claim that is not fully supported by the details that follow. Improve cohesion by grouping categories according to their actual trends and using more precise links, such as “By contrast” for the top-income group’s 2011 dip and 2015 rise. Clearer referencing would also help connect each comparison to its income bracket.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

You use a reasonable range of vocabulary for describing data, including “spectrum,” “subtle changes,” “plummeting” and “skyrocketing.” These choices make the main movements easy to understand, and the income categories are generally identified clearly. Some wording is less precise or natural for an academic chart report: “families having income” and “didn't notice any significant change” are awkward, while “shot back up” is informal. The dramatic verbs also overstate some relatively small movements, particularly for the $75,000–$99,999 group. There are spelling errors in “millioin” and “obsereved,” and number formatting is inconsistent. Aim for accurate, neutral collocations such as “the number of households earning” and “remained broadly stable,” reserving stronger verbs for genuinely large changes.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

You attempt a mix of simple and complex structures, including clauses with “while,” “and” and “which” is not needed to understand the comparisons; most sentences communicate the intended trends. However, some sentence boundaries and clause structures are not controlled consistently. For example, “the families earning between 75 thousands to 100 thousands were 14 millioin in 2007, it then decreased…” joins two independent clauses with a comma. The opening “Looking at the bar chart, It…” also has incorrect capitalization after the comma, and “the households in upper end” is missing an article. Check agreement and tense patterns as well: “the number … was” is more appropriate than “families … was,” and “it increased” is unclear when referring to a plural category. More accurate sentence boundaries and clearer grammatical references would strengthen control.

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