The band descriptor for IELTS Writing Task 1 for Band 6 consists of four criteria: Task Achievement, Coherence and Cohesion, Lexical Resource, and Grammatical Range and Accuracy.
Task Achievement: This criterion evaluates whether the writer has addressed the requirements of the task, presented an overview with information appropriately selected, and adequately highlighted key features/bullet points. A Band 6 candidate presents an overview of the given graph/chart but may provide irrelevant, inappropriate, or inaccurate details.
Coherence and Cohesion: This criterion evaluates how the writer has arranged information and ideas coherently with a clear overall progression. A Band 6 candidate uses cohesive devices effectively but may have faulty or mechanical cohesion within and/or between sentences. Additionally, there may be some issues with referencing.
Lexical Resource: This criterion evaluates the writer's vocabulary range for the task, including less common vocabulary. A Band 6 candidate uses an adequate range of vocabulary and attempts to use less common vocabulary with some inaccuracy. Additionally, there may be some errors in spelling and/or word formation, but they do not impede communication.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: This criterion evaluates the writer's use of sentence forms and their grammatical accuracy. A Band 6 candidate uses a mix of simple and complex sentence forms but makes some errors in grammar and punctuation, which rarely reduce communication.
some examples that illustrate each of the criteria for IELTS Writing Task 1 Band 6:
Example: The graph shows the number of visitors to a museum over a period of six months. Overall, the number of visitors increased significantly, with a peak in August. However, the details regarding the type of visitors or their preferences were not mentioned.
Comment: In this example, the candidate has provided an overview of the given graph, indicating an increase in the number of visitors over six months, with a peak in August. However, the details regarding the type of visitors or their preferences were not mentioned. Therefore, the Task Achievement criterion may receive a score of 6.
Example: In August, the number of visitors reached its highest point at 9000, but it then decreased to 6000 in September. However, October saw an increase in the number of visitors to 7000, followed by another drop to 5000 in November.
Comment: In this example, the candidate has arranged information and ideas coherently with a clear overall progression. The candidate uses cohesive devices effectively, but the cohesion between sentences may be faulty or mechanical. For instance, the sentences in the example are disjointed, and the information could be presented in a more organized and connected manner. Therefore, the Coherence and Cohesion criterion may receive a score of 6.
Example: The graph displays the number of cars sold in the USA from 2010 to 2015. The sales of vehicles increased steadily every year, with a peak of 17 million cars in 2015. It can be seen that the auto industry has seen a rise in demand in recent years.
Comment: In this example, the candidate uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task and attempts to use less common vocabulary such as "auto industry." However, there are some inaccuracies, such as the use of "rise in demand" instead of "increase in demand." Additionally, there are no significant spelling or word formation errors that impede communication. Therefore, the Lexical Resource criterion may receive a score of 6.
Example: The graph illustrates how much time people spend on different social media platforms in a week. It can be observed that Facebook is the most used platform, with users spending an average of 8 hours a week. On the other hand, Twitter and Instagram were used less, with users spending 3 hours and 4 hours a week, respectively.
Comment: In this example, the candidate uses a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, such as "It can be observed that" and "On the other hand." Although there are some errors in grammar and punctuation, such as the lack of a comma before "respectively," they do not significantly reduce communication. Therefore, the Grammatical Range and Accuracy criterion may receive a score of 6.