Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

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

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 annual income of number of US households across the years 2007, 2011 and 2015. The number of households has been expressed in millions.

Overall, it can be seen that 2015 had the highest number of homes earning in the range of $100,000 or more whereas residents earning in the threshold of $50,000-$74,999 remained consistent over the years.

In 2007, annual income of $100,000 or more accounted for the largest category with around 30 million households, the figure edged down slightly in 2011 before rising again to around 32 million households in 2015 whereas the category having annual income of $75,000 - $ 99,000 recorded the lowest number of households which were slightly lower than 15 million, the category saw a slight decline in the number of residents in 2011 followed by a rise in the subsequent period of 2015 where it closed at 15 million number of households. Moreover, Number of households were just above 20 million earning an income between the ranges of $50,000-$74,999 annually, the number did not undergo any changes and similarly closed at just above 20 million in 2015.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You provide a relevant overview, identifying the high-income group as the largest in 2015 and the $50,000–$74,999 group as stable. You also report several useful figures and trends, including the dip and subsequent rise in the $100,000-or-more category. However, coverage is uneven: the two lower-income groups, which rose to around 28–30 million in 2011 before easing slightly, are not discussed. There is also a notable data error: the highest-income group reached about 33.5 million in 2015, not 32 million. The $75,000–$99,999 category was the smallest in 2007 and 2011, but not in 2015, when it rose to 15 million. More complete and accurate comparisons would strengthen the report.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction, an overview, and a body paragraph describing selected categories. The sequence within the body is generally understandable, and linking expressions such as “whereas,” “Moreover,” and “followed by” help show comparisons and changes. However, the body paragraph is very long and combines several categories in one sentence, making the information harder to follow. Some connections are also mechanical or imprecise, particularly the repeated use of “the category” and “the number.” Separate the income groups into shorter, logically grouped paragraphs and use clearer references to each group. This would make the progression more controlled and reduce the effort required to track the comparisons.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

You use an adequate range of task-related vocabulary, including “accounted for,” “edged down,” “remained consistent,” and “subsequent period,” which helps describe trends. There is also some flexibility in how you refer to the data, rather than relying entirely on basic verbs such as “went up” or “went down.” However, several choices are imprecise or unnatural: “residents” refers to people rather than households, “in the threshold of” is not a natural way to describe an income band, and “15 million number of households” is awkward. The phrase “annual income of number of US households” is also unclear. More precise collocations and consistent use of “households” would improve accuracy and naturalness.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You attempt a mix of simple and complex structures, including comparisons and clauses with “whereas” and “before rising again.” Most of the meaning remains clear, but some grammatical errors occur in longer sentences. For example, “annual income of number of US households” is missing a determiner, and “the category … recorded the lowest number of households which were slightly lower than 15 million” has an unclear relative clause and agreement. The sentence beginning “In 2007” runs through several trends without clear punctuation, while “Number of households were” has a subject–verb agreement problem. Break long sentences into shorter units, check articles and agreement, and ensure that each clause has a clear subject and reference.

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