Band 4.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-08-24

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 chart illustrate the weekly expense of families during the time period of 1968 to 2018.

There has been rise and fall between food housing transport leisure and other necessities of families.

the chart shows that food fuel and dressing expenses are less than 1968 . where as housing transport and leisure increase with the passage of time .

the main capital of a family almost 35 % spent on food in 1986 which was declined to almost 17 % in 2018 .

same as fuel cost dressing expenses are high in 1968 and decrease it shows that are the increase of source .

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 4.0

The response fails to meet the minimum word count requirement of 150 words, which significantly impacts the ability to fully develop the response. While you have identified some main trends, such as the decrease in food spending and the increase in housing costs, the analysis is superficial. You have not provided a clear overview or sufficient data comparisons to meet the requirements of an Academic Task 1. The information is presented in a fragmented manner, and the lack of detail regarding the specific categories makes it difficult to gain a comprehensive understanding of the chart's data. To improve, ensure you provide a clear summary of the main trends and support your points with specific data points from the chart.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 4.0

The response lacks a clear structure. It is composed of very short, disconnected sentences that do not flow logically. There is an absence of cohesive devices (such as 'however', 'furthermore', or 'in contrast') to link ideas together. Paragraphing is also inadequate, as the text is presented as a series of isolated sentences rather than a cohesive report. To improve, you should group related information into clear paragraphs and use transition words to guide the reader through your analysis of the data.

Lexical Resource — Band 4.0

The vocabulary is quite limited and repetitive. You rely on basic terms like 'rise', 'fall', and 'increase' throughout the text. There are also errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'main capital of a family' and 'increase of source', which make the meaning unclear. The spelling of 'dressing' (likely referring to 'clothing') is also imprecise in this context. To achieve a higher score, you need to use a wider range of vocabulary related to data description, such as 'expenditure', 'proportion', 'fluctuated', and 'accounted for'.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 4.0

The response contains frequent grammatical errors that impede clarity. There are issues with subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'The chart illustrate'), missing articles, and incorrect tense usage (e.g., 'expenses are high in 1968'). The sentence structures are predominantly simple, and there is a lack of complex sentence forms. Punctuation is also inconsistent, with several sentences lacking proper capitalization or ending punctuation. To improve, focus on mastering basic sentence construction, including correct verb tenses for describing past data and ensuring subject-verb agreement.

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