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)
The given bar chart illustrates the details about the value of houbshlds in united kingdom by their final income from 2007 to 2015. The units are measured in millions.
At a glance, it is evident that the trend showed fluctuations in all years. $[redacted phone] or more had depicted the highest value in almost all years. Additionally, the value of [redacted phone]9 was remaind constant in all years.
To commence with, after analysing the chart it can bi clearly seen that the around 25millions was covered by less than $25000 in 2007 which gradually increased to 27 millions by [redacted phone]9 and declined from 27 to around 15 by $[redacted phone]9. $[redacted phone] or more was suddenlly rose up to 29 millions. Furthermore, there was a different of about 14 millions in terms of less tha $25000 and $[redacted phone] or more and less than $25000 was highest with 29 millions.
Probing ahead for further details, the value of $50000-$75999 and $75000-$99999 were remained constant in all years. $[redacted phone] or more was slightly increased from 17 to above 30 millions in 2015.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 4.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 4.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 4.5 |
| Overall | 4.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 4.5
The student attempts to cover the main features of the chart, mentioning the highest categories such as '$100000 or more' and noting some trends across the years. However, the response suffers from serious inaccuracies in reading the visual data, such as confusing countries ('united kingdom' instead of the US) and misinterpreting data points (e.g., claiming '$75000-99999 was remaind constant' when the chart shows fluctuations from 14.5 to 14 to 15, and stating that '$50000-$75999' remained constant when the value was steady at 21, but misrepresenting other figures). Furthermore, the overview is somewhat confused, and key comparisons are poorly articulated. The response meets the task requirements in terms of word count, but the factual errors and imprecise reporting limit its score to Band 4.5.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0
The essay is divided into paragraphs, which provides a basic structural framework. However, the overall progression is difficult to follow due to disjointed sentences and mechanical or misused cohesive devices (e.g., 'To commence with, after analysing the chart it can bi clearly seen that...', 'Probing ahead for further details'). Paragraphing is attempted, but internal cohesion is frequently faulty, and referencing is often unclear, leaving the reader confused about which data points are being compared. The organizational structure does not flow smoothly, corresponding to a Band 5.0.
Lexical Resource — Band 4.5
The vocabulary used is very basic and contains numerous spelling and word-form errors, such as 'houbshlds' instead of households, 'suddenlly' instead of suddenly, and 'bi' instead of be. There are also inaccurate collocations and misread labels from the prompt. While the student attempts to use some task-related terms like 'fluctuations' and 'increased', the persistent lexical errors and limited range restrict the score to Band 4.5.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 4.5
The essay displays a very limited range of grammatical structures, and attempts at complex sentences frequently result in serious errors. Examples include 'the trend showed fluctuations in all years', 'the value of 75000-99999 was remaind constant', and '$100000 or more was suddenlly rose up'. Grammatical inaccuracies—such as tense confusion, passive/active voice mix-ups, and incorrect verb forms—are frequent throughout the text and occasionally impede the reader's understanding. This performance aligns with Band 4.5 descriptors.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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