Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 4.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-09-18
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)
In the given chart, the data for number of US households are listed calculated their average annual income, specifically in year 2007, 2011, 2015. Each of the figure is represented by a different colour.
Initially the chart indicates that in year 2007, 25million of households in USA were earning a total annual income of less than 25000 dollars, almost 27 million of them earns 25000 to 49000 dollars approximately. 21 million households were estimated to earn a total of 50,000 to 74,999 dollars in year 2007, while 75,000 to 99,999 dollars to be the annual income of almost 14 million of the households in US. Chart shows a major income standard of approx 29 million of household to maintain an annual income of 100,000 dollars or more.
Moving on towards the year 2011 in the same regard, the statistics clearly show that 28 million of household in US earn less than 25000 dollars and 30 million with a total earning of 25000 to 49999 dollars. 22 million of them are calculated to be earning 50,000 -74,999 dollars in year 2011. 14 milion earned 75000 to 99999 dollars, 28 milion earned [redacted phone] or more in year 2011.
Furthermore the chart shows statistics for the year 2015 earned annual income of US households.
28 milion earned less tahn
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 4.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 4.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 4.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 4.5 |
| Overall | 4.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 4.0
The response attempts to address the chart showing US households by annual income in 2007, 2011, and 2015. However, the text is incomplete and breaks off abruptly mid-sentence ('28 milion earned less tahn'). While the student reports some data points for 2007 and 2011, the lack of an overview and the failure to complete the description of 2015 severely limits task fulfilment. Furthermore, there are inaccuracies in data reporting, such as stating '25million of households... were earning... less than 25000 dollars' when the chart indicates 25 million for 2007, but then listing various figures that lack a coherent comparative structure. Because the text is unfinished and cuts off prematurely, it only partially addresses the prompt requirements.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 4.5
The response lacks a clear overall progression. Although the writer attempts to structure the body paragraphs chronologically ('Initially the chart indicates...', 'Moving on towards the year 2011...', 'Furthermore the chart shows...'), the internal cohesion within sentences is weak and mechanical. Cohesive devices are minimal, and referencing is often unclear. Paragraphing is disrupted because the response trails off at the end without a concluding summary or an overarching overview statement. The abrupt termination of the text significantly harms the structural integrity and readability of the response.
Lexical Resource — Band 4.5
The vocabulary used is basic and repetitive, relying heavily on simple phrasing such as 'earn', 'million of household', and 'chart shows'. There are noticeable spelling and word choice errors, including 'calculated their average annual income' (the chart shows total household count, not average income) and repeated misspellings like 'milion' and 'tahn'. The range of vocabulary is limited and inadequate for a standard academic task response, restricting the student's ability to discuss data flexibly or precisely.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 4.5
The student attempts some complex structures, but these are frequently faulty or awkwardly phrased, as seen in 'the data for number of US households are listed calculated their average annual income'. Grammatical accuracy is low, with frequent errors in subject-verb agreement ('27 million of them earns'), article usage, and prepositions. Additionally, punctuation and sentence boundaries are poorly controlled. Because the response is unfinished, the structural range remains extremely restricted and error frequency is high throughout the produced text.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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