Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 4.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-08-21
IELTS Writing Task 1 question
below shows the value of one country’s exports in various categories during 2015 and 2016. The table shows the percentage change in each category of exports in 2016 compared with 2015.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Student answer (Band 4.5)
The graph illustrats the data of different levels of annual wage of tamilies in the united states in 2007,2011 and 2015.
As far as the number of families whose annual income was less than $25,000, it began with around
›5 million in 2001, then increased to approximately 27 million in 2011, but decreased by 2 million 4 years later. Similarly, those of families that earned $25,000 to $49.999 were about 25 million in 2007, after that it rose to nearly 30 million in 2011. Finally it decreased to around 27 million in
2015.
By contrast, the groups of families which have high income, including $15,000 to $99.999 and $100,000 or more, experienced a drop in 2011, but their data went up in 2015.
Interesting things could be seen in the group of middle income, the data remain the same in 2007, 2011 and 2015.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 3.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 4.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 3.0
The response fails to address the provided task entirely. The prompt asks for a summary of export data for 2015 and 2016, but the student has written about annual wage levels in the United States from 2007 to 2015. This is a complete misinterpretation of the visual data provided. Furthermore, the response is under the 150-word minimum, which negatively impacts the score. Because the content is irrelevant to the prompt, it cannot be considered a successful summary of the information. To improve, you must carefully study the labels, titles, and keys of the provided charts before writing to ensure your analysis matches the actual data presented.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0
The essay is organized into short paragraphs, and there is some attempt at logical progression using transition words like 'Similarly' and 'By contrast'. However, because the content is entirely unrelated to the prompt, the overall coherence is severely undermined. The referencing is sometimes unclear, and the flow between sentences feels mechanical. To improve, focus on creating a clear overview statement that summarizes the main trends, followed by body paragraphs that group related data points logically. Ensure that your cohesive devices are used to connect relevant ideas rather than just acting as placeholders at the start of sentences.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary is quite limited and repetitive. Phrases like 'the data remain the same' and 'Interesting things could be seen' are simplistic and lack the precision required for an academic report. There are also spelling errors, such as 'illustrats' and 'tamilies'. The range of vocabulary is insufficient to describe trends or data fluctuations effectively. To reach a higher band, you should learn specific terminology for describing graphs, such as 'fluctuated', 'remained stable', 'witnessed a decline', or 'experienced a significant increase'. Expanding your range of synonyms will help you avoid repeating the same basic verbs and nouns throughout your writing.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The response contains a mix of simple and some attempted complex sentence structures, but there are frequent errors in grammar and punctuation. For example, 'those of families that earned' is grammatically awkward, and there are issues with subject-verb agreement and article usage. Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with the use of commas and decimal points in numbers. While the meaning is generally understandable, the frequency of errors is high. To improve, focus on mastering basic sentence construction and proofreading for common errors like missing articles, incorrect verb tenses, and subject-verb agreement before submitting your work.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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