Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.5 · 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 4.5)

The chart below shows the numer of households in the US by their annual income in 2007 and 2015.

we can see that in year of 2007 households that were less than 25,000 usd dollar were about 15, in 2011 they were a liitle less than 15, and in 2015 it was a little exact 15 housholds. Whereas household between 25,000 - 49,000 usd in2007 where about 27, in2011was fully 30 and in 2015 almost 35 households. Moreover the housholds between 50,000 - 74,000 usd from 2007 to 2015 were always same about housholds 22, secondlastly the housholds from 75,000 - 99,999 usd in 2007 about just one less then 15, in 2011 it was just 2 less than 15 and in 2015 it was sharp 15 housholds. Lastly the income who have 100,000 or more usd in 2007 were just less than one from 30 , in 2011 it was 27 households and in 2011 36 housholds.

we can see that the most households were in the year of 2015 who there income were 100,000 or more usd and the lowest was in 2011 who their income was between 75,000 - 99,999 usd.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response4.0
Coherence and Cohesion5.0
Lexical Resource5.0
Grammatical Range and Accuracy4.5
Overall4.5

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.0

The response identifies several income groups and attempts to compare all three years, but the figures and trends are often substantially misreported, so the chart’s main features are not reliably conveyed. For example, the under-$25,000 group is described as about 15 million, whereas it is around 25–28.5 million; the $25,000–$49,999 group is said to reach almost 35 million, although it is about 27–29.5 million. The final category’s 2015 figure is also given as 36 rather than approximately 33.5 million, and the year is mistakenly repeated as 2011. The overview does identify the 2015 high-income group as the largest, but calls the $75,000–$99,999 group the lowest in 2011, overlooking the lower 2007 figure in that category. Focus on accurate key comparisons and an overview grounded in the data.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

There is some organisation: the response moves through the income bands using markers such as “Moreover,” “secondlastly,” and “Lastly,” then gives a concluding comparison. However, it is largely one long paragraph followed by a short conclusion, and the sequence of details does not create a clear overview-to-support progression. Several comparisons are difficult to follow, especially “in 2011 it was 27 households and in 2011 36 households,” where the repeated year obscures the intended contrast. Linking words are also used mechanically, and “Whereas” does not clearly connect the surrounding information. Separate the overview from two groups of detailed comparisons, and use clear references to each year and category so the reader can follow the data.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The response uses a basic range of chart-related vocabulary, including “households,” “income,” “less than,” and “more,” which makes the general topic recognisable. However, vocabulary is repetitive and several choices or forms are inaccurate, sometimes making the meaning unclear: “the income who have 100,000 or more” and “a little exact 15” are not natural ways to describe a category or figure. Spelling errors such as “numer,” “liitle,” and “housholds” are noticeable, while “usd dollar” is redundant. Use precise terms such as “income bracket,” “approximately,” and “rose/fell/remained stable,” and check spelling and currency notation. These improvements would make descriptions more concise and easier to interpret.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

The response attempts some longer sentences and comparisons, but control of sentence structure is weak, and errors frequently make relationships between figures unclear. For example, “in year of 2007 households that were less than 25,000 usd dollar were about 15” has problems with articles, word order, and agreement; “in 2011was fully 30” lacks spacing and a clear grammatical construction. The final sentence, “the most households were in the year of 2015 who there income were…,” contains faulty clause structure and agreement. Tense and punctuation are also inconsistent, with long sequences joined by commas. Practise accurate simple comparison sentences first, then combine them using controlled clauses, for example: “The figure rose from about 25 million in 2007 to 28.5 million in 2011.”

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