Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-10-09

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 show that number of houses build in US by their annual income in 2007 to 2015.in this time period most of people build their own houses.its a huge amount of people. Because in US its not easy to build your own house easily.

There was a survey or report of main features and comparisons. In 2007 25% people made less than 25000$ and 27% people of hosehold of pay more than 25000$ and 22% people household of pay rate [redacted phone]$ to99999$ and 29% of people of pay rate [redacted phone]$ to more.

According to 2011 year survey 29% less than $25000 , 30% of $25000 to 49999$ and 22% to 50000$ to 74999$ and 13% to 7500$ to 99999$ and last and high range is 28% [redacted phone]$ to more.

According to 2015 24% people less than $25000 and 28% of $25000to $49999 and 21% of $50000 to $74999 and 15% of $75000 to $99999 and last and more 33% $[redacted phone] to more.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response3.5
Coherence and Cohesion4.5
Lexical Resource4.5
Grammatical Range and Accuracy4.5
Overall4.5

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 3.5

The response attempts to report figures for all three years, but it does not accurately describe the chart’s measure: it repeatedly calls the figures percentages or numbers of people, whereas the chart shows household counts in millions. Several values and categories are also misreported. For example, the 2007 figure for $75,000–$99,999 is given as 22, although it is about 14.5 million, and the 2015 figure for under $25,000 is stated as 24 rather than about 28 million. The opening claims about people building houses are unsupported and distract from the task. There is no clear overview of the main trends, such as the high-income group reaching its peak in 2015 and the middle-income group remaining stable. Focus on accurate household figures and summarise the key patterns.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5

The response has a basic chronological structure: it moves from 2007 to 2011 and then 2015, which helps readers locate the information. However, the opening comments about house-building do not connect logically to the chart, and the sentence about a “survey or report” does not introduce a clear point. Within each year, figures are listed in a long sequence with little punctuation or explanation, so comparisons and trends are difficult to follow. Use a short introduction, a distinct overview, and organised detail paragraphs. Linking phrases such as “By contrast” or “Meanwhile” could clarify comparisons, while consistent punctuation and clearer grouping would make the progression easier to understand.

Lexical Resource: Band 4.5

The response uses some relevant chart vocabulary, including “annual income,” “less than,” “range,” and “comparisons,” and the income bands are generally recognisable. However, word choice is often inaccurate or repetitive: “people build their own houses” misrepresents what the chart measures, and “last and high range” is an unclear way to identify the highest income category. The repeated use of “people” and “pay rate” also limits precision. Use terms such as “households,” “income bracket,” and “number of households” consistently, and describe the figures as “millions,” not percentages. More precise verbs such as “rose,” “remained stable,” and “fell slightly” would help communicate the chart’s trends.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

The response communicates a sequence of years and figures, but sentence control is inconsistent. The opening contains errors in agreement and sentence boundaries: “The chart show” should be “The chart shows,” and “in 2007 to 2015.in this time period” needs clearer punctuation and a complete sentence. Articles and plural forms are also often missing or incorrect, as in “most of people” and “number of houses.” Many details are joined into extended lists without full stops, making the grammatical relationships unclear. Most sentences follow a simple reporting pattern, with little variety in clause structures. Practise accurate simple sentences first, then combine related comparisons using controlled clauses and consistent past-tense forms.

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