Band 4.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.0 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-10-05

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 graph illustrates the number of households by their annual income in the US in year 2007,2011 and 2015.

Overall, one hundread thousand dollars or more was the highest income in the year 2015, while seventy five thousands dollars was the lowest income in 2011.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 3.0

The response falls significantly short of the minimum 150-word requirement, containing only 46 words. Consequently, the task is addressed only minimally. While the introduction attempts to state what the bar graph illustrates, the body text only provides two isolated data points rather than a comprehensive overview of main features and relevant comparisons as required by the prompt. To improve, the writer must expand the response to meet the length requirement and include a detailed summary of the main trends across all income categories and years shown in the chart.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5

The text attempts a basic logical structure by separating the introduction from the overview. However, because the response is extremely brief, overall progression is absent. Cohesive devices are minimal, relying on simple transitional phrases like 'Overall'. Paragraphing is partially attempted, but the ideas are not adequately developed or linked together to form a cohesive report. To achieve a higher band, the writer needs to group related data logically into well-developed body paragraphs and use a wider range of cohesive devices to connect sentences and ideas smoothly.

Lexical Resource: Band 4.5

The vocabulary used is very basic and repetitive, such as 'bar graph', 'illustrates', 'number', and 'income'. There are also lexical errors in word form and expression, such as 'hundread' (spelling error) and referring to income brackets as 'one hundread thousand dollars or more was the highest income' instead of households in that income bracket. To improve, the student should expand their range of vocabulary by using precise terminology related to statistical data, such as 'categories', 'brackets', and 'proportions', and ensure accurate spelling and word formation.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

The response consists of just two simple sentences, showing no variety in sentence structures. Grammatical control is basic, with minor punctuation errors such as missing spaces after commas, e.g., '2007,2011'. The lack of complex sentence forms limits the structural range. To reach a higher level, the writer needs to incorporate a mix of complex and compound sentence structures, using relative clauses or subordinate clauses while maintaining grammatical accuracy across verb tenses and prepositions.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

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