Band 4.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-08-09

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

The chart below gives information about how families in one country spent their weekly income in 1968 and in 2018.

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

1968 and 2018: average weekly spending by families

Student answer (Band 4.0)

the graphs illustrates the information about how families in one country spent their weekly in come in between 1968 and 2018.

overall in this graphs 8 things are discussed food, housing , fuel and power also clothing and footware , household goods, personal goods, transport and leisure in 2018 foods are on the peaked and in 2018 leisure are on the peaked.

initialy we discussed about the food that in 1968 food have substantial ratio its around 35 percent however in 2018 food fell droped and their ratio around 20 percent.

then we discussed about the housing that in 1968 food have less ratio its around 10 percent however in 2018 housing slighty increase and their ratio around 20 percent.

in contrast fuel and power having advantageous ratio around about 10 percent but in 2018 its fell down and its ratio droped in to 5 percent.

addically we talk about clothing and footware sharply increase in 1968 and fell drown in 2018 and its ratio around 5 percent in 2018

just leisure climbed in

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 4.0

The response attempts to summarize the data but fails to provide a clear, accurate overview. The introduction is poorly phrased, and the summary of trends is factually incorrect in places (e.g., claiming food 'peaked' in 2018 when it actually decreased). The report lacks a logical selection of features, focusing on individual items without making meaningful comparisons between the two years. Several categories are omitted or described with inaccurate data, and the response ends abruptly mid-sentence, leaving the task incomplete. To improve, ensure you identify the most significant changes and support them with accurate data points from the chart.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 4.5

The essay lacks a clear structure. While there are attempts at paragraphing, the progression of ideas is disjointed. The use of cohesive devices is repetitive and often misused, such as the frequent, awkward use of 'we discussed about' and 'however'. The referencing is unclear, and the lack of a proper conclusion or logical flow between points makes the text difficult to follow. The abrupt ending further disrupts the coherence of the response. Improving the use of linking words like 'whereas', 'in contrast to', and 'consequently' would help create a more professional and readable flow.

Lexical Resource — Band 4.0

The vocabulary is very limited and often inaccurate. There are frequent spelling errors such as 'in come', 'footware', 'initialy', 'addically', and 'droped'. The student relies on basic, repetitive phrasing like 'ratio' and 'peaked' to describe data, which is often used incorrectly. There is little evidence of an attempt to use a range of vocabulary suitable for an academic report. To reach a higher band, you should focus on learning specific collocations for describing trends, such as 'a significant decline', 'a steady increase', or 'accounted for'.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 4.0

The response contains frequent grammatical errors that often impede communication. There are consistent issues with subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'the graphs illustrates'), incorrect verb tenses, and missing articles. Sentence structures are simple and often fragmented or run-on. Punctuation is also inconsistent, with unnecessary spaces before commas and periods. The lack of control over basic sentence construction makes the writing difficult to read. Focusing on mastering simple sentence structures and ensuring correct verb forms before attempting complex sentences would be a beneficial step for improvement.

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