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 bar chart displays the number of american households depending on their annual income in 2007, 2011 and 2015.

Overall, in all given years an income in the range of $75,000 to $99,000 was the least popular one. In 2007 and 2015 the majority of the households earned more than $100,000, while in 2011 it was the third most popular range. In 2011 the largest number of households had an income in the range of $25,000 to $49,999.

In all given years, a number of households with an income in the range of $50,000 to $74,999 was steady. Similar, the changes in a number of households with an income in the range of $75,000 to $99,000 were small, the number fluctuated between 13 and 15 million.

The number of households with an income less than $25,000 and in range of $25,000 to $49,999 fluctuated between 2007 and 2015, starting off with around 25 million and 27 million respectively, peaking in 2011 at 29 million and 30 million respectively, then dropping to around 26 and 27 million respectively in 2015. The number of households with an income higher than $100,000 started off at around 29 million in 2007, dropping to around 27 million in 2011, and reaching its peak in 2015 at around 38 million.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You identify the main pattern that the $75,000–$99,999 group was smallest throughout and note the stable $50,000–$74,999 category. The overview also correctly highlights the high-income group’s relative position in 2011. However, some key comparisons and figures are inaccurate: the $100,000+ group reached about 33.5 million in 2015, not 38 million, and the two lower-income groups ended at about 28 and 28.5 million, rather than 26 and 27 million. The $25,000–$49,999 group was the largest in 2011, but the high-income group was second, not third. The response covers the chart and selects relevant features, but these errors and limited comparison of the categories keep the account from being more fully developed.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and two paragraphs describing the figures. This gives the reader a useful broad route through the information, and phrases such as “In 2011” and “then” help signal time and sequence. However, progression within the overview is not always clear: the statement about the high-income group’s ranking is followed by the largest 2011 category without a clear comparison of the remaining groups. Cohesion also becomes mechanical through repeated wording such as “the number of households with an income in the range of.” “Similar” does not connect the following sentence grammatically, and the final paragraph combines several series in a long sentence. Use clearer grouping and more varied, accurate links to make relationships easier to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

You use an adequate range of chart-related vocabulary, including “majority,” “steady,” “fluctuated,” “peaking,” and “reaching its peak,” which helps describe trends and rankings. Some choices are imprecise or repetitive, however. “Least popular” suggests preference rather than the number of households, and “an income in the range” is repeated where concise labels such as “the $25,000–$49,999 bracket” would be more natural. “Similar” is not the appropriate linking expression here; “Similarly” or “By contrast,” depending on the intended relationship, would be clearer. Capitalise “American,” and use the chart’s exact category boundaries, including “$75,000–$99,999.” More precise collocations and varied references to income groups would improve flexibility and accuracy.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

You show a mix of simple and complex forms, including the overview sentence beginning “while in 2011” and the final sentence describing a sequence of changes. Most meanings remain clear, but some grammatical errors persist. In “Similar, the changes … were small, the number fluctuated,” the linking word is incorrectly formed and two independent clauses are joined with a comma; write, for example, “Similarly, the changes … were small, and the figure fluctuated.” The phrase “a number of households” is also used where “the number of households” is required, and “in range of” needs an article (“in the range of”). Check agreement and sentence boundaries when combining trend descriptions. Greater control of these patterns, alongside the complex structures already attempted, would make the account more consistently accurate.

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