Band 4.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.0 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-10-07

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 illustrate the numbers of households in the US by their annual income in 2007, 2011 and 2015.

Overall, the most prominent trend is an upward trajectory in 2015.

In 2007, there is 25 million households whose income is less then 25000 doller. Particularly, nearly 23 millions household whose income between 25000 to 49999 dollor. Whereas, whose income was more than [redacted phone] dollor are greater numbers of household in 2007.

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AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 3.0

The response identifies the chart’s subject and attempts an overview, but “an upward trajectory in 2015” is too broad and does not accurately summarise the mixed pattern: several income groups were stable or changed only slightly, while the $100,000-or-more group rose notably by 2015. Some figures are inaccurate: the $25,000–$49,999 group was about 27 million in 2007, not nearly 23 million, and the response does not report the later-year data. The answer also stops mid-sentence (“In”), leaving the task largely incomplete. It contains 59 words, well below the required 150, so there is not enough relevant reporting or comparison to address the task adequately. Select key trends and support them with accurate figures across all three years.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.0

There is a basic attempt to organise the response, beginning with an introduction, followed by an overview and a detail paragraph. However, the progression is interrupted by the isolated fragment “In” at the end, and the body does not develop into a complete account of the chart. Connections between ideas are also unclear: “Particularly” does not logically introduce the next figure, while “Whereas” is used without a complete contrasting clause. The reader can follow the general topic, but the information is not arranged into a coherent, finished comparison. Use separate paragraphs for the overview and grouped data, and connect comparisons with complete sentences and clear reference to the relevant years.

Lexical Resource: Band 4.5

The response uses some relevant chart vocabulary, including “bar chart,” “households,” “income,” and “trajectory,” so the topic is generally recognisable. However, the range is limited and several word choices or forms are inaccurate: “numbers of households” would be more naturally expressed as “number of households,” and “greater numbers of household” is awkward. Spelling errors such as “doller” and “less then” also reduce accuracy. Repeated use of “income” and “household” is understandable but offers little variety, while “upward trajectory” is too general to describe the different category trends precisely. Practise accurate income-band labels and use terms such as “rose,” “remained stable,” and “declined slightly” to report the data.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

The response attempts a few different sentence patterns, including an overview and a contrast introduced by “Whereas,” but control is inconsistent. In “The bar chart illustrate,” the singular subject requires “illustrates.” The phrase “there is 25 million households” has an agreement error and an unsuitable construction; write “there were 25 million households.” In “whose income between 25000 to 49999,” the clause is incomplete and the comparison pattern is faulty. The final “In” is also an unfinished sentence. These errors make some relationships difficult to interpret, and the short response provides little evidence of sustained control or a wider range of structures. Build complete sentences first, checking subject–verb agreement, tense, and clause structure.

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