Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-06

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

Overall, there a defference between this years, families spent money in 1968 on food by contrast in 2018 most spending on leisure.

In recent time, the families spent their incomes in important priorities, such as food and housing more than 15%, plus leisure 23% and transport 14% by contrast other ways of spending was fell like fuel and power, personal goods.

In 1968, the most thing was families spending on is food 35% high then other proprieties in defferent years, then the percentage of spending fell sharply in defferent proprieties for example fuel and power, clothing and footware, personal and household goods less than 10%.

that chart explain finally the spending is defferent by time on type of property

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

The response only partially addresses the task requirements and fails to meet the minimum length of 150 words, coming in at 127 words (with 11 words copied directly from the prompt discounted). While the student attempts to provide an overview and mention some key data points, such as food taking up 35% in 1968 and leisure reaching 22% in 2018, the selection of information is incomplete and lacks adequate detail. The overview is overly simplistic, and the comparison between the two years is poorly structured. To improve, the writer needs to ensure all main trends are fully reported and support the summary with accurate, well-selected data from the chart while strictly meeting the word count requirement.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5

The response shows some basic organization, but there is no clear overall progression of ideas. The writing is fragmented into very short, disjointed sentences and lacks logical sequencing between paragraphs. Cohesive devices are used inadequately and inaccurately, such as repetitive and misused transitional phrases like 'by contrast' and 'in recent time'. Paragraphing is also problematic, as the text is broken down into weak, single-sentence blocks that do not guide the reader smoothly through the information. To achieve a higher band, the student must use a wider and more accurate range of cohesive devices to connect ideas logically and structure the essay into cohesive, well-developed paragraphs.

Lexical Resource: Band 4.5

The vocabulary used is limited and barely adequate for the task. There are noticeable errors in word choice, word form, and spelling throughout the response, such as 'defference', 'proprieties', and 'footware'. The student attempts some less common vocabulary related to the prompt, but inaccurate collocations and spelling mistakes impede communication at times. For instance, using 'proprieties' instead of 'properties' or 'categories' creates confusion. To improve this area, the writer needs to expand their range of vocabulary, pay closer attention to word forms, and check spelling carefully to ensure precise reporting of data.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

The grammar demonstrates a very limited range of structures, relying mostly on simple sentences with frequent errors. Attempts at complex or comparative structures are often faulty, as seen in expressions like 'most spending on leisure' and 'the most thing was families spending on is food 35% high then other proprieties'. There are frequent errors in verb tenses, subject-verb agreement, prepositions, and article usage, such as 'there a defference between this years' and 'was fell'. These persistent errors cause difficulty for the reader. To reach a higher band, the student needs to incorporate a better mix of error-free complex sentences and exercise greater control over basic grammatical rules.

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

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