Band 4.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-12

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 DAIGRAM BELOW GIVES INFORMATION ABOUT HOW FAMILIES IN COUNTRY SPENT THEIT WEEKLY INCOME IN 1968 AND IN 2018. OVERALL, THE BAR CHART GIVES INFORMATION 1968 AND 2018 AVERAGE WEEKLY SPENDING BY FAMILIES SO GRAPH SHOWING 8EGHTH INCOM IN THE FIRST FOOD, SECOND HOUSING, THIRDFUEL AND POWER, FOURTH CLOTHING AND FOOTWARE, FIFTH HOUSEHOLD GOODS, SIXTH PERSONAL GOODS, SEVENTH TRANSPORT, EIGHTH LEISURE.

IN 1968, % OF WEEKLY INCOME SHOWING HIGH INCOME FOOD, HOUSING, FUEL AND POWER, CLOTHING AND FOOTWARE. FOOD IN 1968 VERY HIGH IN CHART 35, IN 2018 INCOME 17, HOUSING IN 1968 INCOME 10, IN 2018 INCOME 19, IN 1968 INCOME 6 AND IN 2018 INCOME 3 IN CHRT SHOWING VERY LOW. CLOTHING ANG FOOTWARE IN 1968 0 AND IN 2018 INCOME 5.

IN 1968 HOUSEHOLD GOODS IN INCOME 7 AND IN 2018 INCOME 5 IT'S MEDIUM, PERSONAL GOODS IN 1968 INCOME 7 AND IN 2018 4, TRANSPORT IN 1968 INCOME 7 AND IN 2018 INCOME 14 AND LAST LEISURE IN 1968 INCOME 9 AND IN 2018 INCOME 22. IN 2018 LEISURE IN VERY HIGH INCOME AND IN 1968 HIGH INCOME FOOD.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 4.0

The response attempts to address the prompt by reporting spending figures for 1968 and 2018 across various categories. However, the task achievement is severely limited. The candidate relies heavily on listing raw percentages without synthesizing the data or providing a clear overview of the main trends, such as the dramatic shift in spending from necessities like food to leisure. Furthermore, there are significant inaccuracies in reporting the data (for instance, claiming clothing and footwear was 0 in 1968, and copying prompt text in uppercase). Key features and comparisons are only superficially attempted, resulting in an under-developed response.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 4.0

The organization of the response is extremely poor. The text lacks logical paragraphing, as it is presented in three dense blocks of text with no clear introduction, body, or conclusion structure. Cohesive devices are largely absent or misused, and the progression of ideas is disjointed, relying on repetitive phrases like 'in 1968' and 'in 2018' followed by disconnected data points. Referencing and paragraphing do not meet the standards required for clear progression, making the text difficult to follow.

Lexical Resource — Band 4.0

The vocabulary used is extremely basic, repetitive, and heavily reliant on direct lifting from the prompt and chart labels (e.g., 'FOOD', 'HOUSING', 'LEISURE'). There is no evidence of less common lexical items, and word choices are restricted to elementary terms. Spelling and lexical control are weak, and the use of uppercase letters throughout parts of the text further detracts from lexical appropriateness. The range is inadequate for effective communication of statistical data.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 4.0

The grammatical range is severely limited, consisting almost entirely of fragmented, simple sentence structures or poorly linked clauses lacking verbs. There are frequent grammatical errors and omissions, such as missing articles ('in country', 'high income food'), missing verbs ('so graph showing', 'food in 1968 very high'), and incorrect prepositions. Complex sentence forms are absent. These frequent errors impede communication and demonstrate very poor control over basic grammatical structures.

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