Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 4.5 · IELTS Momentum Workout · 2026-09-05
IELTS Writing Task 1 question
The diagram below shows a town square and surrounding area in 2014 and the plans for development of the area to be completed by 2020. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Student answer (Band 4.5)
The pie chart illustrates the proportion of household earnings spent on food, housing, transport, education, healthcare and other expenses in a given year.
Overall, food accounted for the highest percentage of income, while other expenses represented the lowest share. Housing and transport accounted for a significant proportion.
Looking the details, food accounted for the highest share of family income at about 30%. This was followed by housing and transport approximately 25% and 15%, respectively. It was a significant proportion of household earnings.
Looking at the details, education, healthcare, entertainment and other expenses had lowest share of family income. Education stood at about 10%, while healthcare was exactly 2% lower. The difference between entertainment and other expenses was about 2% points.
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 task prompt entirely. The instructions ask for a description of a town square development plan, but the student has written a report about a pie chart regarding household earnings. Furthermore, the response is significantly under the 150-word minimum, which limits the ability to provide a fully developed overview or detailed comparisons. Because the content is completely irrelevant to the provided image, the task achievement is severely compromised.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0
The essay is organized into short paragraphs, which provides a basic structure. However, the logical progression is hindered by the fact that the content does not match the prompt. Cohesive devices such as 'Overall' and 'Looking at the details' are used, but they are mechanical and do not effectively link ideas in a way that serves the intended task. The paragraphing is present but does not compensate for the lack of relevant information.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary is limited and repetitive. Phrases like 'accounted for the highest share' and 'had lowest share' are used multiple times. While the vocabulary is sufficient to communicate the (incorrect) topic, it lacks the range and precision required for higher bands. There is no attempt to use less common lexical items or sophisticated collocations related to describing trends or diagrams.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The student uses a mix of simple and some complex sentence structures. There are minor grammatical errors, such as the missing preposition in 'Looking the details' and the awkward phrasing 'had lowest share'. While the sentences are generally understandable, the range of structures is narrow. Punctuation is mostly accurate, but the overall control of grammar is basic and lacks the flexibility expected at higher levels.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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