Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-10-21

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 households in millions by their annual income in America in the year of 2007, 2011, and 2015. The chart depicts the range of annual income in five categories.

Overall, most of the households annual income showed 100,000 USD or more over the years. In contrast, the least amount of annual income was between 75,000 to 99,999 USD. From 2007 to 2015, number of households annual income was from 50,000 to 99,000 USD which remained constant in all years.

The highest amount of households annual income showed in the range of 100,000 USD or more in 2007 (slightly below 30 millions households), 2011 (approximately 27.5 millions household), and 2015 (about 33 millions households). Over the same years, households second highest annual income depicted in the range of 25,000 to 49,999 USD. The annual income of the number of households less than 25,000 USD was seen in 25 millions households in 2007 which increased in 2011 to 29 millions households and stayed the same in 2015.

The lowest number of households annual income was between 75,000 and 99,999 USD and it fluctuated slightly. In 2007 it depicted (about 14.5 millions), then minor fall was seen (about 14 millions) and in 2015, it increased (15 millions). However, about 21 millions of households annual income showed 50,000 to 74,000 USD which remained constant over the years.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the chart’s subject and provide an overview, noting that the $100,000-or-more group is generally among the largest and that the $75,000–$99,999 group is the smallest. You also report several relevant figures and trends accurately, including the high-income group’s rise to about 33 million in 2015 and the stable 50,000–74,000 category. However, the overview is not fully accurate: the highest category was not the largest in 2011, when the $25,000–$49,999 group reached about 29.5 million. The claim that the $50,000–$99,000 range remained constant also overlooks the small changes in the $75,000–$99,999 group. Clarify these comparisons and cover the lower-income categories more precisely.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction, an overview, and two paragraphs presenting details. The information is generally grouped sensibly, and phrases such as “Over the same years” and “In contrast” help signal comparisons. However, some links between ideas are unclear or repetitive. For example, the overview’s statement about the $50,000–$99,000 range being constant does not match the later account of the $75,000–$99,999 category fluctuating. Repeated constructions such as “the number of households annual income” also make the progression harder to follow. Use direct references to income groups and organise the detail paragraphs consistently, for example by comparing the two largest categories first and then the remaining three.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use enough chart-related vocabulary to communicate the main information, including “increased,” “remained constant,” “fluctuated,” and “approximately.” However, several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or unnatural, particularly the repeated phrase “households annual income,” which obscures whether you mean household numbers or income levels. “The highest amount of households annual income showed” is also not a natural way to describe a category’s value. There is some repetition of “depicted” and “showed,” and “millions households” is an incorrect plural construction. Aim for precise, conventional reporting language such as “the number of households in this income bracket” and “stood at.” This would make the comparisons clearer and more fluent.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and more complex sentences, including comparisons across years, and most of the intended meaning remains understandable. Some grammatical errors persist, however. In the introduction, “in the year of 2007, 2011, and 2015” has an awkward article and number pattern; “in 2007, 2011 and 2015” is cleaner. The sentence “From 2007 to 2015, number of households … remained constant” is missing an article and has an unclear structure. There are also agreement and plural errors in “29 millions households” and “27.5 millions household.” Improve article use, singular/plural forms, and sentence construction, while retaining the range of sentence patterns you already attempt.

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