Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-10-24

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 provides information about the number of households in the US by their annual salary in 3 different years 2007,2011 and then in 2015.

Overall, the goup with salary 100,000$ and more had the highest numbers in 3 years , while the salary 75,000$ to 99,999$ remained the lowest in all 3 years.

In 2007, the number of households with salary less than 25,000$ was about 25 million but its figure continued to increase gradually and reached almost 30 million in 2011 before falling to 26 million in 2015. Moreover,the group having salary 75,000$-99,999$ and 50,000$-74,999$ remained almost constant in all 3 years and was approximately 15 million and 20 million the number of households respectively.

Furthermore,the group with salary 25,000$-49,999$ was standing about 27 million in 2007 but then there was a steady growth of almost 30 million in 2011 and reached again about 26 million in 2015. The fifth group with salary 100,000$ or move was approximately 30 million in 2007 and before dropping to about 26 million in 2011 and reached 33 million and made the highest group in terms of the number of households at the end of the period.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The response identifies the main pattern that the $100,000-or-more group was largest overall and that the $75,000–$99,999 group was smallest, and it reports figures for all five income bands. This gives a clear overview and covers the chart’s key categories. However, some figures and trends are inaccurate: the highest-income group was not largest in 2007 or 2011, and its 2011 value was about 27.5 million, not 26 million. The $25,000–$49,999 group reached about 28.5 million in 2015, rather than falling to 26 million; the under-$25,000 group was about 28 million then. The middle-income group was stable at roughly 21 million, not 20 million. More precise comparisons would strengthen an otherwise relevant summary.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and two paragraphs describing the data. The sequence from the lower-income groups to the other categories is generally understandable, and linking expressions such as “Overall,” “Moreover,” and “Furthermore” help signal relationships. However, the final paragraph combines several series in a long sentence, making the comparisons harder to follow, and some transitions feel mechanical rather than showing a clear relationship between the figures. The overview also says the highest-income group led in all three years, which conflicts with the later figures and weakens the progression of ideas. Grouping the two categories that rose and then eased together, followed by the category that rose sharply by 2015, would make the organisation more purposeful.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The vocabulary is adequate for describing a chart, with useful terms such as “remained,” “increase gradually,” “steady growth,” and “approximately.” The writer also uses relevant income-band labels, so the reader can identify the categories being compared. However, several choices are imprecise or unnatural for formal data reporting: “salary” is less suitable than “annual income” for households, “was standing about” is awkward, and “made the highest group” does not naturally describe a ranking. There are also spelling and form slips, including “goup” and “move” for “more.” These do not prevent understanding, but more accurate collocations and consistent use of chart vocabulary would make the description clearer and more polished.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The response uses a mix of simple statements and longer clauses, including a time clause in “before falling to 26 million” and a relative clause in “the group having salary…”. Most meanings remain clear, but some sentence structures are awkward or incomplete. For example, “Moreover, the group … remained almost constant … and was approximately 15 million and 20 million the number of households respectively” has an unclear relationship between the figures and categories. The sentence beginning “The fifth group…” also joins several events without a well-controlled structure. Punctuation and spacing around commas are inconsistent, and there are occasional article and preposition problems, as in “in the US by their annual salary.” More controlled complex sentences and careful proofreading would improve accuracy.

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