Band 4.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 4.0 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-09-28
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 4.0)
The bar chart illustrates the number of household in the United State by their annual salay in 2007, 2009 and 2015.
Overall, 2015 showed the most annual salaries, while the 2011 has least annual salaries over the period.
The number of US household annual income was in 2007 from about 25 million to about 29 million. while the number of US household annual income in 2011 was from approximately 29 million to about 27 million. The number of US household annual income 2007 and 2015 showed the same pattern.
Similarly, the number of US household annual income was in 2015 from about 27 million to about 33 million. 2015 was the most annual income to US household. In contrast, 2011 was the least annual income to US household.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 4.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 4.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 4.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 4.0 |
| Overall | 4.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.0
The response fails to meet the minimum word count requirement of 150 words, containing only 128 words, which negatively impacts the task achievement score. Furthermore, the content contains significant factual errors and misinterpretations of the visual data. For instance, the student refers to the years 2007, 2009 (which is not in the chart), and 2015, and repeatedly misinterprets the data categories as 'annual salaries' or 'annual income' per household rather than the number of households across different income brackets. While an overall trend is attempted, key features are poorly selected and inaccurately reported, placing the response at Band 4.0.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.0
The essay is divided into very short paragraphs, and the overall logical progression is weak. The student attempts to use cohesive devices such as 'Overall,' 'Similarly,' and 'In contrast,' but these are often misused due to the underlying confusion in the data. Referencing is frequently unclear, for example in sentences like 'The number of US household annual income was in 2007 from about 25 million to about 29 million.' Paragraphing is rudimentary and the flow of ideas is disjointed, which significantly impedes the reader's understanding. This aligns with the descriptors for Band 4.0.
Lexical Resource: Band 4.0
The vocabulary used is extremely basic, repetitive, and frequently inaccurate. The student confuses 'households' with 'salaries' and 'income' ('the number of household in the United State by their annual salay' and '2015 showed the most annual salaries'). There are also spelling errors such as 'salay' instead of 'salary'. The range of vocabulary is very limited and inadequate for an Academic Task 1 response, resulting in a Band 4.0 score.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.0
The response displays a very limited range of grammatical structures. Most sentences are simple or attempt complex structures that are heavily flawed and ungrammatical (e.g., 'while the 2011 has least annual salaries over the period' and 'The number of US household annual income was in 2007 from about 25 million to about 29 million'). Errors in tense, preposition usage, and sentence construction are frequent and often distort the meaning. This performance fits the Band 4.0 criteria.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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