Band 4.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

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

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)

(food)

in 1968 families in country spend more money on there health because when you eat healthy things you will be more healthier.

in 2018 people spend less money on foods so that's why new generation people are lazier

(housing)

As in comparsion in housing there is alot of difference in 1968 people spend less money on housing because increase of tax of many things like gas bill and light bill it make more difficuilt for the people of 2018 and day by day increase of tax make people life to much harash and there life turn into frusatated

(clothing)

people from 1968 spend more money on there clothing as compared to 2018 people because its all about how you looks that the actually thing that represent you

(household)

one thing is similiar in 1968 and 2018 people that both generation don't compromise on household and the use there money in same rythem

(personal goods)

in 1968 people use personal far better then 2018 people because there are many responsibilty in this generation

(transport)

publice price are less cost then comparsion in 2018 because fuel prices increase so automatically increase the price of transport as compared to 1968

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 3.5

The response identifies several chart categories and makes some relevant comparisons, such as saying that food spending was higher in 1968 and that household-goods spending was similar in both years. However, it does not provide a clear overview of the main patterns, and several claims are inaccurate or unsupported: the chart shows food at 35% in 1968 and 17% in 2018, not that people ate more healthily or that later generations are lazier. Housing spending rose from 10% to 19%, rather than falling, while transport also increased. Leisure, the largest category in 2018, is omitted. To improve, report the key figures and overall shifts objectively, without explaining causes or judging people’s behaviour.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 3.5

The category labels give the response a basic structure, and phrases such as “as compared to” show an attempt to compare the two years. However, the ideas do not progress as a clear summary of the chart: there is no opening overview, and the response moves through selected categories without grouping the main increases and decreases. Some connections are unclear, particularly the shift from housing figures to claims about taxes and hardship. Organise the report into an introduction, an overview, and paragraphs comparing related categories. Use linking expressions to show actual chart relationships, such as “whereas” for contrasting trends, rather than relying on repeated comparison phrases.

Lexical Resource: Band 4.5

The response uses some topic-related vocabulary, including “housing,” “fuel prices,” “transport,” and “household,” so the reader can recognise the categories being discussed. However, much of the wording is informal, repetitive, or imprecise for an academic chart report. Phrases such as “people are lazier,” “there life turn into frusatated,” and “use personal far better” do not clearly describe spending data, while spelling errors such as “comparsion” and “similiar” reduce accuracy. Build a more precise vocabulary for describing proportions and change, including “accounted for,” “increased,” “declined,” and “remained stable.” Avoid unsupported evaluative language.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

There are attempts to form longer sentences and comparisons, for example, “As in comparsion in housing there is alot of difference in 1968 people spend less money…” This shows some effort to connect ideas, but sentence boundaries and clause structure are often difficult to follow. Verb forms and agreement are also inconsistent, as in “families … spend” and “it make,” and possessive forms are confused in “there life.” Punctuation and capitalisation are limited, making several sentences run together. Practise writing short, complete sentences first, then combine them accurately with “while” or “whereas”; check subject–verb agreement, past-tense reporting, and sentence punctuation.

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