Band 4.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 4.0 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-10-06
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 compares the data about the United States annual income of numerous residents for the three different years.
As an overview, it can be noticed that, in the year 2015, the residents of US were earning the highest as compared to the previous two years which was near about 34 millions.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 3.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 4.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 4.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 4.5 |
| Overall | 4.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 3.0
The response falls severely short of the minimum word length requirement, containing only 53 words compared to the required 150 words. Because of this extreme brevity, the task is only addressed in a minimal way. The student attempts to provide an overview, noting that residents earned the highest income in 2015, but fails to present any detailed data, key features, or comparisons as requested in the prompt. There is no body paragraph to explore the specific income brackets shown in the bar chart, leading to an incomplete and underdeveloped response.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5
Due to the extreme shortness of the text, consisting of only two sentences, overall progression and paragraphing are heavily constrained. However, the basic structure shows a slight attempt at organisation by separating the introductory framing from a brief summary statement. Cohesive devices are minimal, relying on simple linking phrases such as 'As an overview, it can be noticed that'. To achieve a higher level of coherence and cohesion, the writer would need to develop a proper multi-paragraph structure with clear logical links between different data points and categories.
Lexical Resource: Band 4.5
The vocabulary used is basic and repetitive, such as 'data', 'residents', and 'years'. There are some unnatural phrasings and lexical choices, notably 'the data about the United States annual income of numerous residents', which lacks precision. While the words attempted are generally simple enough to be understood, the limited range fails to adequately describe statistical chart data. To improve lexical resource, the student should incorporate precise vocabulary related to data trends, income distribution, and varying quantities.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5
The student demonstrates control over basic sentence structures, such as simple and moderately complex forms like 'The bar chart compares the data...' and 'it can be noticed that...'. However, grammatical accuracy is hindered by awkward phrasing and preposition usage, such as 'earning the highest as compared to the previous two years which was near about 34 millions'. The punctuation is mostly functional, but the limited sentence variety and frequent reliance on basic templates restrict the grammatical range.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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