Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 4.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-09-29
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 yearly earning of families in the United States of America of the year 2007,2011,and 2015.Each year there are difference in the income .
In the year 2007, the lowest income was seventy five thousands to ninty nine thousands nine hundred nine which was earned by 14 millions people,whereas the highest income in that year was one lakh dollar and above that that was more than 25 millions households income. There is a hige difference earning can be seen from the bar in the year 2011.The earning between 25,000 dollars to 49,999$ goes up from 26 to 30 milloins. Besides that, the highest earning goes down from 29 to 26 milloins.
Again, in the year 2011, there is a huge difference of earning the maximum dollars went to 34.However, there is a little changes to the other number of households.
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 response attempts to address the task by discussing some figures from the chart, such as the highest and lowest income brackets in 2007 and 2011. However, the student fails to meet the 150-word minimum length requirement, containing only 144 words, which negatively impacts the task achievement score. Furthermore, the selection of data contains inaccuracies and confusions; for instance, the figures cited for earnings and years are often misread or incorrectly stated (e.g., mixing up data for 2011 and 2015). There is no clear overall overview provided to summarize the main trends across the three years, resulting in a fragmented and partially developed response that falls into Band 4.5.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0
The essay is divided into short paragraphs, but the logical progression and overall arrangement are weak. Ideas jump between years and income brackets without a cohesive structure to guide the reader. While some basic cohesive devices are used (e.g., 'whereas', 'besides that', 'however'), their application is often awkward or mechanically forced. Referencing between sentences is unclear, particularly in the final paragraph where the mention of 'the maximum dollars went to 34' lacks sufficient context. Paragraphing is attempted, but the internal organization of ideas prevents the text from achieving a higher band. Overall, the coherence aligns with Band 5.0 descriptors.
Lexical Resource: Band 4.5
The vocabulary used is very basic and repetitive, relying heavily on simple terms like 'earning', 'income', 'difference', and 'highest/lowest'. There are also several non-standard expressions or awkward lexical choices, such as 'yearly earning of families', 'one lakh dollar' (an Indian English term inappropriate for an international IELTS context), and spelling errors like 'ninty' and 'hige'. The range of vocabulary is limited and minimally adequate for communicating basic ideas, but instances of inaccurate word choice and spelling flaws cause some difficulty for the reader, placing this aspect firmly at Band 4.5.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5
The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but control over grammar and punctuation is poor. There are frequent grammatical errors, such as subject-verb agreement issues ('Each year there are difference') and awkward phrasing ('There is a hige difference earning can be seen'). Punctuation and spacing are also neglected, as seen in missing spaces after commas ('2007,2011,and 2015'). Complex sentences are frequently faulty, leading to frequent errors that obscure meaning and impede communication at times. This performance corresponds to a Band 4.5.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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