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 gives information about the yearly earning of houses measured in millions in the years (2007, 2011 and 2015).

Overall, 2015 was the year which had the highest number of households in terms of earning, whereas these numbers remained quite similar in 2007 and 2011.

Houses that earned (from $75000 upto $99999) were numbered roughly near 15 million across three years (2007, 2011 and 2015), whereas, houses which earned $[redacted phone] or more were recorded to be the highest in the numbers, roughly 33 million and 29 million households in 2015 and 2007 respectively, moreover it was seen at its lowest totalling near 27 million houses in 2011.

The highest number of households in 2011 were approximately 30 million for those who earned from $25000 upto $49999, and the numbers remained similar over 25 million in 2007 and 2015. Households with earning from $50000 upto $74999 remained constant across three years, averaging 20 million households .Lastly, houses with yearly income less than $25000 were seen ranging between 25 million and 28 million in the following three years.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You identify several important patterns, including the stability of the $50,000–$74,999 group and the rise in households earning at least $100,000 by 2015. The figures you give for the latter group and the roughly 15-million $75,000–$99,999 category are broadly accurate. However, the overview is too general: saying 2015 had the highest number of households overall is not a clear comparison across income bands, and 2007 and 2011 were not simply similar. Some details are also imprecise: the $25,000–$49,999 group was about 27 million in 2007 and 28.5 million in 2015, not merely “over 25 million”; the under-$25,000 group peaked at about 28.5 million in 2011. A sharper overview and more precise comparisons would strengthen the report.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and two paragraphs reporting category details. This gives the reader a coherent overall route through the information, and contrasts such as “whereas” help connect comparisons. However, the progression within the detail paragraphs is not always easy to follow because categories are introduced in a somewhat arbitrary order, and the long third paragraph combines several comparisons. Linking words such as “moreover” are sometimes used where a clearer sentence break or direct contrast would work better. The overview also does not prepare the reader for the main trends that follow. Grouping the income bands consistently and using clearer references to each year would make cohesion more natural and precise.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant chart vocabulary, including “remained constant,” “recorded,” “ranging between,” and “approximately,” and the income categories are generally understandable. However, several word choices are unnatural or imprecise for this task: “yearly earning of houses” and “houses that earned” confuse households with buildings, while “were numbered” is not a natural way to describe chart figures. Repetition of “houses,” “numbers,” and “roughly” also limits flexibility. Some phrases, such as “highest in the numbers,” are awkward and make comparisons less clear. Aim for accurate collocations such as “the number of households,” “households earning,” and “stood at,” while varying reporting verbs selectively. This would improve precision and range without requiring overly complex vocabulary.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You attempt a mix of simple and complex sentences, including clauses linked with “whereas” and “which,” and the main meaning is generally clear. Some grammatical errors remain, particularly in sentence construction and punctuation. For example, “The bar chart gives information about the yearly earning of houses measured in millions” has an unclear structure, and the opening overview sentence would be clearer as “2015 had the highest figures in most income bands.” The sentence beginning “Houses that earned…” is overloaded, with several clauses joined by commas, creating a run-on structure. There are also inconsistent article and plural patterns, as in “in the numbers” and “20 million households .Lastly.” Use shorter, controlled sentences for comparisons, check punctuation between clauses, and maintain consistent grammatical forms.

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