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 compares the number of households in the US by their annual income in five different groups in 2007, 2011, and 2015, whereas the number of households shows in millions.

Overall the bar chart demonstrates the number of households earning $10,000 or more increased significantly by 2015. In contrast, the $75,000-$99,999 income group had the lowest number of households throughout the period.

In 2007, approximately 25 million households earned less than $25,000, while around 27 million earned between $25,000 and $49,999. The figure for $50,000 and $74,999 group stood at about 21 million. Meanwhile, around 15 million households earned between $75,000 and $99,999,.

In 2011, the number of households earning less than $25,000 increased to approximately 29 million. the figure for those earning $25,000 and $49,999 rose to around 30 million. In 2015, the number of households in the highest income group reached approximately 33 million, making the largest category. while the $75,000 and $99,999 group remined the smallest, at around 15 million.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You provide a relevant summary and include several accurate figures, such as about 25 million households in the lowest income group in 2007 and roughly 33 million in the highest group in 2015. The overview identifies the $75,000–$99,999 group as the smallest throughout, which is supported by the chart. However, the claim that households earning “$10,000 or more” increased significantly is inaccurate: the chart’s top category is $100,000 or more, and the overall pattern is not captured clearly. Some important comparisons are also underdeveloped, including the unchanged $50,000–$74,999 figure and the rise and subsequent slight fall in the two lowest income groups. Report the main trends more precisely and cover all five groups selectively.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction, an overview, and paragraphs describing the figures. Time markers such as “In 2007,” “In 2011,” and “In 2015” help readers follow the chronology. However, the final paragraph moves between years and income groups without a fully consistent comparison, and the 2015 sentence beginning “while” is detached from the preceding sentence. Some linking is mechanical, and the overview does not lead into a complete account of the main trends. Grouping the data by income bands or by notable changes, then using clear comparisons between years, would make the progression more cohesive. Check sentence boundaries and punctuation so that each comparison is connected cleanly.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of task-related vocabulary, including “approximately,” “increased,” “reached,” and “income group,” and the chart’s categories are generally described clearly. Some word choices are inaccurate or imprecise: “$10,000 or more” misstates the chart category “$100,000 or more,” while “the largest category” could be clearer as the group with the most households. There are also spelling and form slips, including “remined,” and the phrase “the figure for … group” is awkwardly formed. These issues do not prevent understanding, but greater precision and more natural collocations would strengthen the report. Use consistent, exact labels for the income bands and vary comparison language where appropriate.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mix of simple and more complex sentences, including the opening comparison with “whereas” and the overview contrast introduced by “In contrast.” Meaning is generally understandable, but some grammatical and punctuation errors remain. For example, “the number of households shows in millions” has an incorrect verb construction; “the figure for those earning … rose” should begin with a capital letter after the full stop; and the sentence ending “$99,999,.” has faulty punctuation. The final “while” clause is also left as a fragment after a full stop. Review sentence boundaries, capitalization, and verb patterns, while continuing to use varied sentence structures.

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