Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-02

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 4.5)

the bar chat present the information of the household in bejans expend their weekly cash composition from 1968 to 2018.

overall,the household members spend their heighest income in[ food,leisure and transport] in 1968.as same in 2018 they spending in leisure approximately 25% of their income in 2018 and lowest they spend in fuel and power and also in transport.

in the graph householf member spending there 35% of their income in food .and lowest they spend in 2018 is in fuel and power because in that time there is not everywhere electrity and vehicles so they spend very less in these things . in 2018 they spending approximately 25% of their income in leisure and in personal use they spending less than 5% of thier income . in 1968 they spending 10% of their income in housing in 2018 it significantly increase to more than 20% its ia 2* .in 2018 they spending in clothing and fotware ther is just increase bettween 1968 to 2018 only 5% its average . in information household have same level of income what they spending in 1968 even in 2018 they spending same am out of income and the impressive .

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

The response attempts to address the prompt by reporting on the chart comparing family spending in 1968 and 2018, such as noting food at 35% in 1968 and leisure at approximately 25% in 2018. However, the task is only partially addressed. The overview is weak and confused, and some reported information is inaccurate or irrelevant, such as unsupported speculation about electricity and vehicles not being everywhere. Furthermore, the selection of data lacks clarity, with key trends like the dramatic rise in housing or the drop in food spending not fully or accurately contextualised. To move to a higher band, the writer needs to present a clearer, more accurate overview of the main trends without introducing outside assumptions, and ensure all key data points are correctly reported.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.0

The organisation of the text presents significant issues. There is a lack of clear overall progression, and the response is presented as a single dense block of text with no effective paragraphing. Cohesive devices are either missing or misused, and referencing is frequently unclear, making it difficult to follow the logical relationship between sentences. For instance, transitional phrases between sentences are absent, leading to choppy and disconnected ideas. To achieve a higher band, the writer must organise the response into logical paragraphs, such as an introduction with an overview followed by body paragraphs grouping related data, and use cohesive devices more accurately to guide the reader through the comparisons.

Lexical Resource: Band 4.5

The vocabulary used is limited and basic, restricting the writer's ability to discuss the visual data precisely. There are numerous word choice and spelling errors throughout the text, such as 'heighest', 'householf', 'electrity', 'thier', and 'fotware'. While the student attempts some less common terms, these are often inaccurate or poorly colligated. To reach a higher band, the writer needs to expand their lexical range to include precise vocabulary for describing trends and proportions (such as nouns and verbs for increases and decreases) and eliminate basic spelling and word choice errors that interfere with clear communication.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

The grammatical range is very limited, relying heavily on simple structures, and attempts at more complex sentences are frequently faulty. There are frequent errors in verb tenses, subject-verb agreement, and articles throughout the response, such as 'the bar chat present', 'they spending', and 'it significantly increase'. Punctuation is also problematic, with missing capital letters and run-on phrasing. To progress to a higher band, the writer must demonstrate better control over basic grammatical structures, ensure consistent and correct use of verb tenses for past data, and reduce the frequency of errors that cause difficulty for the reader.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

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