Band 4.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.0 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-10-11

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 illustrates the number of domestic units in the US by their yearly salary in 2007, 2011 and 2015.

Overall, majority housholds are accounted for the least yearly salary in two years

About 37 number of households are seemed to receive the least annual income in years 2007 and 2015 while the number of households receving $25-49k

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 3.0

The opening identifies the chart’s subject and the three years, and you attempt an overview by referring to the lower-income groups. However, the overview is incomplete and unclear: “majority households” does not accurately describe the chart, and the figures do not show that most households were in the lowest income group. The claim that about 37 million households received the lowest income in 2007 and 2015 is also inaccurate; that category is approximately 25 million and 28 million respectively. The response stops before completing its comparison of the $25,000–$49,999 group and omits the other categories and key changes, including the rise in households earning $100,000 or more by 2015. It is also 91 words below the required minimum. Include a clear overview and report several accurate comparisons.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5

There is a basic attempt to organise the response: an introductory sentence is followed by a separate overview paragraph, which gives the reader some structure. However, the progression is not sustained because the final paragraph is an unfinished sentence: “while the number of households receving $25-49k”. This leaves the comparison incomplete and makes the relationship between the figures unclear. The overview also lacks a complete, connected statement of the main trends. To improve, use a clear sequence—introduction, overview, then one or two paragraphs comparing the income groups—and ensure each sentence is complete. Linking expressions such as “by contrast” or “whereas” can help make comparisons explicit.

Lexical Resource: Band 4.5

You use some relevant task vocabulary, including “bar chart”, “number of households”, “yearly salary” and “annual income”, so the topic is generally recognisable. However, several choices are inaccurate or unnatural for describing this chart. “Domestic units” is not an appropriate substitute for households, and “least yearly salary” is unclear when the chart groups households by income bands. There are also spelling errors in “housholds” and “receving”, while “37 number of households” is an awkward construction. Use the chart’s category labels consistently and choose standard reporting phrases such as “households earning less than $25,000” and “the figure stood at approximately”. This would make the limited information more precise and easier to understand.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

The response includes a simple present-tense introduction and an attempt at a longer sentence, showing some basic sentence construction. However, grammatical control is uneven. In “Overall, majority housholds are accounted for the least yearly salary in two years”, the noun phrase lacks an article and the sentence structure does not clearly express the intended meaning. “About 37 number of households are seemed to receive…” combines incompatible verb forms; a direct construction such as “There were about…” would be clearer. The final sentence is incomplete, so its clause beginning with “while” has no completed main idea. Aim to write complete sentences with a clear subject and verb, and check agreement, articles and verb forms before finishing.

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