Band 4.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-07

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 bar chart illustrates information about how families in one country used their weekly income in 1968 and in 2018. Overall, it can be clearly seen the most expenditures in 1968 they were some thing are increased but tow thing were low in the instead of 2018.

in detail, in 1968 are very highly weekly income because people mostly used food in 35 percent and housing were low as compared to food their is 10 percent and next

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 3.5

You identify the chart’s subject and include two accurate figures: food accounted for 35% in 1968, while housing was 10%. However, the response stops before making meaningful comparisons with 2018, and the overview is unclear: “some thing are increased” does not specify which categories rose or fell. The chart’s main features—food’s sharp decline, leisure and housing becoming larger shares, and several categories decreasing—are not reported. The response is also only 70 words, below the required 150, so it is substantially incomplete. To improve, provide a clear overview and compare the most important categories in both years, using accurate figures and completing the summary.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 3.5

There is a basic attempt to organise the response: an opening sentence, an overview beginning “Overall,” and a detail section introduced by “in detail.” This gives the reader a rudimentary structure. However, the progression breaks down because the overview is difficult to interpret and the final sentence ends abruptly at “and next,” leaving the information unfinished. Connections between ideas are also unclear; for example, “some thing are increased but tow thing were low” does not identify the categories or explain the comparison. Use separate, complete paragraphs for the overview and key details, and link comparisons explicitly with phrases such as “whereas” and “by contrast.”

Lexical Resource: Band 4.5

The response uses some relevant task vocabulary, including “bar chart,” “weekly income,” “food,” and “housing,” and the figures are expressed in a way that is generally understandable. However, the range is very limited, and several phrases are inaccurate or unclear, such as “the most expenditures,” “some thing are increased,” and “tow thing were low.” These choices make it difficult to understand the intended trends. Spelling errors such as “tow” and “thing” also reduce clarity. Build a small set of precise comparison terms—such as “accounted for,” “rose,” “fell,” and “the largest share”—and use category names directly rather than vague phrases like “some thing.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.0

You attempt a few sentence forms, including an opening description and an overview introduced by “Overall,” but control of sentence structure is weak. In “it can be clearly seen the most expenditures in 1968 they were,” the clause is not formed correctly, and “in 1968 are very highly weekly income” lacks a clear grammatical structure. There are also problems with agreement and articles, as in “housing were low,” and the final sentence is incomplete. These errors frequently make relationships between ideas hard to follow. Practise writing complete subject–verb sentences, for example, “Food accounted for 35% of weekly spending in 1968, whereas housing represented 10%.” Check each sentence for a clear subject and verb before adding comparisons.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.