Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-09-16

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

The chart below shows the number of households in the US by their annual income in 2007, 2011 and 2015.

Summarize the information by selecting and reporting the main features and make comparisons where relevant.

Student answer (Band 4.5)

The bar chart illustrates the number of US household annual income of 2007, 2011 and 2015 (in million).

Overall, in both whole figures of both less than $25,000 and above till $49,000 were almost show no change. In figues $100,000 or above showed the highest in all year while $75,000 - $99,999 figures was declining.

In $100,000 or above account for the highest in 2015 more than 35 million while in 2011 the number was little bit declining more than 25 million and on 2007 it's 30 million. Moreover $75,000 - $99,999 were held by very few people in all years stating from 15 million.

In less than $25,000 and $25,000 - $49,000 preffered by most of the people. In 2007 figure were represented 25 and over 25 million, move to 2011 figure were rose towards less than 30 and 30 million, finally both were less than 30 million b.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The student attempts to cover the main features of the chart, including general trends and specific income brackets such as the $100,000 or more group and the $75,000–$99,999 bracket. However, the response suffers from significant inaccuracies in reporting data. For instance, the student states that the $100,000 or more group was 'more than 35 million' in 2015 when it was actually around 33.5 million, and misinterprets other trends due to garbled syntax. The overview is poorly formulated and difficult to follow. Consequently, the task is only partially addressed, aligning the response with a Band 5.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The essay is divided into paragraphs, which provides a basic visual structure. However, the logical progression is frequently disrupted by broken sentences and confusing referencing. Cohesive devices are either missing or misused, as seen in awkward transitions like 'move to 2011 figure were rose towards less than 30 and 30 million'. The overall arrangement lacks clear cohesion, and the relationships between ideas are often obscure, making the text hard to navigate. This level of organisation corresponds to a Band 4.5, rounded to 5.0 due to basic paragraphing attempts.

Lexical Resource — Band 4.0

The vocabulary used is very basic and repetitive, frequently relying on simple terms like 'figure', 'number', and 'people'. There are numerous word choice errors and awkward collocations, such as 'household annual income of 2007' instead of 'households by annual income', and 'were held by very few people'. Spelling is generally acceptable, but the limited and inaccurate range of vocabulary restricts communication and causes strain for the reader, placing it firmly at Band 4.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 4.0

Grammatical control is weak throughout the response. There is an absence of reliable complex structures, and even simple sentence constructions contain severe errors, such as missing verbs, incorrect prepositions, and faulty subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'In figues $100,000 or above showed the highest', 'figure were represented'). The sentence structure breaks down completely at the end of the text ('both were less than 30 million b.'). These frequent errors severely distort meaning and impede communication, reflecting a Band 4.0.

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