Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-11-05

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 graph illustrates the amount of households in US categorized by their annual income in three years: 2007, 2011 and 2015.

Looking at the bar chart it can be seen that there are five different categories: less than $25,000, $25,000-$49,999, $50,000-74,999, $75,000-$99,999 and $100,000 or more. Among these, in every period the lowest one is "$75,000-$99,999" class, it remains around 15 millions of households. Similarly, the following class "$50,000-$74",999 keeps its number constant with a little more than 20 millions housholds.

Particularly, the category "$100,000 or more" rises to the highest position in two of three years, 2007 with almost 30 millions, and 2015 achieving approximately 33 millions of households. The only year where it was surpassed by the classes "less than $25,000" and "25,000-$49,999" was in 2011.

The last two categories it can be observed they were having similar numbers during the three periods, in 2007 they got around 25 millions, in 2011both almost hit 30 millions and finally in 2015 they placed around 27 millions.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the five income groups and report several relevant patterns, including the stability of the middle-income groups and the rise in households earning $100,000 or more by 2015. Most figures are broadly consistent with the chart. However, the overview is not stated clearly as a distinct summary of the main trends, and some comparisons are imprecise: the two lower-income groups were about 25 and 27 million in 2007, not both around 25 million, and about 28 and 28.5 million in 2015, rather than around 27 million. The claim that the top-income group was surpassed by both lower-income groups in 2011 is accurate, but could be supported with clearer figures. A more explicit overview and more precise comparisons would make the report more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response is arranged in a sensible sequence: it introduces the chart, identifies the categories, then discusses the middle and highest groups before turning to the two lower-income groups. Paragraphing helps separate these points, and linking expressions such as “Similarly,” “Particularly,” and “finally” guide the reader. This gives the report a coherent overall structure. Some connections are less smooth, however: “The last two categories it can be observed” is an awkward opening, and “the following class” does not clearly identify which category is meant. The report would progress more clearly if it began with a concise overview and grouped comparisons consistently by trend, using explicit references such as “the two lowest income bands.”

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

You use a suitable range of chart-reporting vocabulary, including “categorized,” “remains,” “rises,” “surpassed,” and “approximately,” and the income categories are generally identified clearly. These choices allow you to describe both stability and change. Some word choices and collocations are less natural, such as “amount of households,” “lowest one,” and “achieving approximately 33 millions.” There are also inconsistencies in how category labels are written, and “the following class” is vague. These issues do not prevent understanding, but they limit precision and naturalness. Prefer standard expressions such as “number of households,” “the smallest category,” and “reached approximately 33 million,” while keeping the labels consistent.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You attempt a mix of sentence forms, including subordinate clauses and comparisons, as in “The only year where it was surpassed…” and “Among these, in every period…”. The main trends remain understandable, but some grammatical errors recur. For example, “it remains around 15 millions” has a subject–verb mismatch with the plural idea and an incorrect plural form after a number; “in 2011both” also needs separation and clearer punctuation. The sentence beginning “The last two categories it can be observed” has an unclear structure, while “they were having similar numbers” uses an unsuitable tense for describing chart data. Use present simple for general chart descriptions, check agreement and articles, and revise longer sentences so each clause has a clear subject.

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