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 Bar chart compares the overall propotion of weekly household income that families in one country spent on different catogries.

Overall the gap of 50 years have shown on wekly income and spending, 1968 is represnted by black square where 2018 is represneted by gray. The bar chart shows food have the largest propotion among other household items, Where housinfg covers 18% of weekly income in 2018 and got higher than 1968. Although fuel and power take least amount of weekly income while clothing and foot ware

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.0

The response fails to meet the minimum length requirement of 150 words, stopping abruptly at only 87 words, which severely limits task completion. While the writer attempts to introduce the chart and mentions a few data points such as food and housing in 2018, the coverage is extremely minimal and lacks a coherent overview. Important trends and comprehensive comparisons between 1968 and 2018 are largely omitted. To reach higher bands, the writer must fully address all parts of the prompt by writing at least 150 words, selecting key features, making meaningful comparisons across both years, and providing a clear summary statement.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.0

Information and ideas are not arranged in a coherent manner, and the text breaks off mid-sentence at the end. Paragraphing is underdeveloped, and the response lacks clear overall progression. While there are basic introductory elements, cohesive devices are virtually absent or used inaccurately, such as the abrupt transition using 'Where housinfg covers'. Referencing between ideas is faulty, making it difficult for the reader to follow a logical structure. To improve coherence and cohesion, the writer needs to organise the data into logical paragraphs, use a clear introductory overview, and employ appropriate cohesive devices to link comparisons smoothly.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is basic and repetitive, featuring frequent spelling and word choice errors that strain comprehension, such as 'propotion', 'catogries', 'represneted', and 'housinfg'. The range of vocabulary is limited to very simple terms related to the visual data. Although there is an attempt to use topic-specific vocabulary like 'weekly household income', the numerous lexical inaccuracies impede smooth communication. To achieve a higher band, the writer must expand their lexical range by using precise synonyms and less common academic vocabulary, while eliminating basic spelling mistakes and ensuring correct word forms.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

The response displays a very limited range of sentence structures, and frequent grammatical errors distort meaning and cause difficulty for the reader. There are issues with subject-verb agreement and tense consistency, as seen in phrases like 'the gap of 50 years have shown on wekly income' and 'food have the largest propotion'. Punctuation and sentence boundaries are poorly controlled, resulting in run-on sentences and an unfinished final clause. To improve in this criterion, the writer needs to demonstrate a greater variety of complex sentence structures with improved accuracy, paying careful attention to verb forms, prepositions, and article usage.

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

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