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 graph illustrates the average weekly spending by families in between 1968 and 2018 in a country.

Overall, The majority proportion of families spent their weekly income on food, and least proportion of families spent on fuel and power, average number of families spent on household goods in both years.

In 1968, The proportion 35% people spent on food , and 10% of families choosed for housing, and household goods, personal goods, leisure, transoprt on these average around 8% and least proportion of people spent on fuel and power.

Additionally, in 2018 around 22% families spent on leisure, also in housing around 17% and in

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 3.5

The response fails to meet the minimum length requirement of 150 words, stopping abruptly at only 106 words and leaving the body paragraphs incomplete. While the writer attempts to provide an overview and mention some specific data points from the chart, such as the highest spending on food in 1968 and leisure in 2018, the coverage is very restricted and partially incomplete. The response addresses the task only partially, as key details are omitted, the comparisons are minimal, and the text trails off before concluding. To improve, the writer must ensure the word count exceeds the 150-word threshold and present a fully developed report that covers all major categories across both years.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5

The response attempts a basic structure with an introduction, an overview, and separate body paragraphs, but the overall organisation breaks down significantly due to the unfinished text and abrupt ending. Cohesive devices are used in a very limited and mechanical way, such as 'Overall,' and 'Additionally,'. There is a lack of smooth progression between ideas, and the referencing is sometimes unclear, particularly in the third and fourth paragraphs where sentences lack clear links to preceding information. Paragraphing is attempted, but the final paragraph is cut off mid-sentence. To achieve a higher level, the writer needs to ensure that each paragraph is fully formed and logically connected, using a wider and more accurate range of cohesive devices to guide the reader seamlessly through the data.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is very basic and repetitive, relying heavily on simple terms like 'families', 'spent', 'weekly income', and 'proportion'. There are noticeable lexical inaccuracies and awkward word choices, such as 'choosed for housing' instead of 'chose to spend on housing' or 'allocated to housing', and spelling errors like 'transoprt'. The range is minimally adequate for conveying very simple information, but it lacks the flexibility and precision needed for an academic task. To improve, the writer should incorporate a wider variety of vocabulary related to data trends and statistics, ensure correct word forms, and eliminate spelling errors.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

The grammatical structures attempted are very limited, consisting mostly of simple sentences and faulty attempts at complex clauses. There are frequent errors in grammar and syntax, such as missing verbs and awkward prepositions, as seen in 'The proportion 35% people spent on food' and 'in housing around 17% and in'. Basic errors in subject-verb agreement and prepositional usage are common, and punctuation is sometimes careless. These frequent errors occasionally cause difficulty for the reader in parsing the intended meaning. To improve, the writer needs to demonstrate a greater variety of sentence structures while maintaining control over basic grammar, ensuring that all sentences are complete and grammatically sound.

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