Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.5 · IELTS Summit Mastery · 2026-09-21

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

The table below shows the change in some household types in Great Britain from 1971 to 2007.

Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

PEOPLE IN HOUSEHOLDS BY TYPE OF HOUSEHOLD AND FAMILY

Student answer (Band 4.5)

The table above shows the change in some household types in Great Britain from 1971 to 2007.

The table is divided into 7 rows and 5 columns.The rows shows the Types of Households in Great Britain and the Columns demonstrate the Percentages of each household of the last 47 years (divided into 4 decades and 6 separate years).

Each row demonstrate about an individual and their families and infront of them on the right side columns are the years with gap of 10 years each and the last one is a 6 years gap probably because the data was collected before the decade ended so they filed it 6 years.

One person household had a percentage of 6(1971) , 8(1981) ,11(1991) , 12(2001) , 12(2007).

One-family household (Couples) with no children had percentages upto 19 , 20 , 23 , 25 , 25 (a constant increase).

Whereas a family household with dependent children had 52, 47, 41, 39, 36 (Decrease in Percentages).

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 4.0

The response fails to meet the core requirements of an Academic Task 1 report. Instead of summarising the main trends and making comparisons, the student describes the physical structure of the table (e.g., 'The table is divided into 7 rows and 5 columns') and speculates on why data was collected at certain intervals ('probably because the data was collected before the decade ended'). While the student does include a few raw data points from the chart later in the text, there is no proper overview and no meaningful synthesis of the overall trends, such as the rise in one-person households and lone parents versus the decline in couples with dependent children. This results in a weak performance for Task Achievement.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 4.5

The organizational structure is disrupted by the student's focus on describing the physical table layout in the opening paragraphs rather than moving straight into data analysis. Paragraphing is rudimentary, with several very short, single-sentence paragraphs. Cohesive devices are minimal or mechanical, relying on simple sequencing or lists of numbers rather than discourse markers that signal comparison, contrast, or progression (e.g., 'Whereas a family household...'). Progression of ideas is hindered because the response reads more like a mechanical description of rows and columns than a cohesive analytical report.

Lexical Resource — Band 4.5

The vocabulary used is very basic and repetitive. The student relies heavily on simple terms like 'table', 'rows', 'columns', 'percentage', and 'increase' or 'decrease'. There are instances of awkward phrasing or non-standard collocations, such as 'Each row demonstrate about an individual' and 'percentages upto 19'. The student does not demonstrate the range of vocabulary necessary to discuss statistical trends effectively, such as verbs and adjectives of degree or rate (e.g., 'rose significantly', 'experienced a downward trend').

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 4.5

The response contains frequent grammatical errors and non-standard syntax. Examples include subject-verb agreement issues like 'The rows shows' and preposition errors like 'percentages upto'. The sentence structures are predominantly simple or faulty attempts at complex forms. For instance, the sentence 'Each row demonstrate about an individual and their families and infront of them on the right side columns are the years...' is ungrammatical and overly convoluted. Punctuation errors, such as missing spaces before parentheses and commas, also detract from the overall accuracy.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.