Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-10-04

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 chart illustrates in 2007, 2011 and 2015 the number of households in US country their annual income.

Overall, it is clear that anuual income of US country in these years.The most noticeble point here in every year are include number of households in millions.

In 2007, in the US country annual income was less than $25000,and then it increased little $49999 and then it gain slightly 1% and it rapidtly increased $75,000 to $99,999.And then it gain $100,000 or more.

In 2011 and 2015, it was less than $25,000 to $49,999 and then both increased 20 to 15 mean $50,000 to $74,999 and stopped $99,999. And then US country income then rapidtly less $100,000 or more number of households in millions.These are categarious in which households by annual income increased and decreased. In 2007 it was 30% less and in 2011 25% to above and in 2015 near 35% less.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.0

The response responds to the task only minimally and tangentially. While the student attempts to discuss the data regarding US household income across the years 2007, 2011, and 2015, the information is presented in a very confused and disjointed manner. The overview is largely incomprehensible, with vague statements like 'anuual income of US country in these years' that fail to summarize the main trends or overall patterns shown in the chart. Furthermore, specific data points are misreported or garbled, such as 'increased little $49999' and confusing references to percentages and random numbers like '20 to 15'. Key features of the chart, such as the highest and lowest income brackets, are not clearly identified or compared. Consequently, the response does not adequately meet the requirements for selecting and reporting main features and making relevant comparisons.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.0

Information and ideas are not arranged coherently in this response. The text lacks a clear logical progression and overall structure, making it very difficult for the reader to follow the intended comparisons. Paragraphing is disjointed, and sentences are strung together without clear logical links or appropriate cohesive devices. For instance, transitional phrases like 'And then' are overused repetitively to connect unrelated ideas and erratic data points. Referencing is frequently unclear, as seen in vague pronoun usage ('it was less than $25,000') where the subject of the sentence keeps shifting unpredictably. There is no clear organizational framework guiding the reader through the introduction, body details, and overview, resulting in a fractured and confusing sequence of thoughts.

Lexical Resource: Band 4.5

The vocabulary used is basic, repetitive, and frequently inaccurate, which significantly strains the reader's understanding. The student relies heavily on simple terms and repeats phrases like 'number of households in millions' and 'US country annual income' throughout the text. There are numerous word choice and word formation errors, such as 'noticeble', 'rapidtly', and 'categarious', alongside strange phrasing like 'gain slightly 1%'. Less common vocabulary is attempted awkwardly without an understanding of proper collocations or contexts, resulting in non-standard expressions. While the vocabulary is minimally adequate to touch upon the topic of household incomes, the persistent lexical inaccuracies and lack of precision prevent the response from achieving a higher level.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

The response displays a very limited range of structures, consisting mostly of fragmented or poorly constructed simple sentences. Attempts at more complex structures are heavily flawed and ungrammatical. Errors are frequent and often distort the meaning of the sentences, such as in the opening sentence: 'The chart illustrates in 2007, 2011 and 2015 the number of households in US country their annual income.' There are persistent issues with missing verbs, incorrect prepositions, faulty sentence boundaries, and a complete lack of control over grammatical patterns. Punctuation is also poorly managed, with missing commas and erratic spacing. These frequent grammatical breakdowns make the text difficult to parse and cause considerable strain for the reader.

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