Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 4.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-10-02
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 graph illustrates the the number of households in the US based on their annual income in the three diffrent years such as 2007,2011 and 2015.
Overall, it can be seen that the highest number of households annual income was $100,000 or more in 2007 and 2005. Whereas the year 2011 had the highest number of household which income was$25,000-$49,999.
The number households whoseannual income less than $25,000 was 25 Million in year 2007 which increased to arround 28000 which was the highest among all the year2011, where as in 2015 it accounted arround 27 million in the year 2015.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 3.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 4.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 3.5
The response only partially addresses the task and fails to meet the minimum length requirement of 150 words, stopping prematurely at 101 words. While the introduction attempts to outline what the graph shows, the body paragraphs cover only a fraction of the data provided in the chart, focusing solely on a couple of figures for households earning less than $25,000. Important information and major trends across the other income brackets are largely omitted. Furthermore, there are factual inaccuracies in the reporting of the data, such as referencing the year 2005 instead of 2015 in the overview, and confusing numerical values by stating 'arround 28000' instead of millions. To achieve a higher band, the response must meet the word count requirement, cover all key features of the visual data accurately, and provide a fully developed overview.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0
The response demonstrates some organisation with a brief introduction and an attempt at an overview, but there is no clear overall progression due to the fragmented nature of the text and the severe lack of development. Paragraphing is rudimentary and inadequate for a structured report. Cohesive devices are minimal, repetitive, or poorly handled, as seen in the abrupt transitions between sentences and paragraphs. Referencing is occasionally unclear, such as the vague connections made between years and income brackets. To improve in this criterion, the writer needs to group related data logically, use a wider and more accurate range of cohesive markers to connect ideas smoothly, and ensure each paragraph has a clear, developed focus.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.0
The vocabulary used is limited and barely adequate for the task, featuring basic and repetitive terms such as 'number', 'households', 'annual income', and 'highest'. There are noticeable lexical errors and inaccurate word forms throughout the text, including spelling mistakes ('diffrent', 'arround') and awkward phrasing such as 'household which income was'. Less common vocabulary is attempted with limited success and inaccurate collocation, which occasionally causes confusion for the reader. To reach a higher band, the writer must expand their lexical range to include precise vocabulary related to data trends and statistical changes, while paying closer attention to accurate word formation, spelling, and collocation.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
The grammatical range is extremely limited, relying heavily on simple sentence structures with frequent errors. Attempts at more complex sentences are often faulty, as demonstrated in structural slips like 'The number households whoseannual income less than $25,000 was...'. There are frequent errors in verb forms, articles, prepositions, and punctuation—such as missing spaces after commas and missing auxiliary verbs—which cause difficulty for the reader. To improve, the writer needs to incorporate a greater variety of complex grammatical structures while exercising better control over basic sentence construction, subject-verb agreement, and punctuation.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.