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 graph illustrates number of house expendeture in a one year income in 2007, 2011 and 2015 in the United State.

Overall,we see similer pattren in all 3 years with little bit diffrence. In 2015 we see hightest bar and as compared to 2011 and 2007.

Regarding 2007

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 3.0

The response makes a limited attempt to introduce the chart and give an overview, but it does not adequately summarise the data. The overview says there is a “similer pattren” across the years and that 2015 has the “hightest bar,” without identifying which income group this refers to or describing the main changes. No figures or meaningful comparisons are reported, and “Regarding 2007” is left unfinished. The chart’s key features—such as the rise in households earning $100,000 or more by 2015 and the broadly stable middle-income groups—are therefore missing. The response also falls 101 words short of the required minimum, leaving too little development to fulfil the task. To improve, report several accurate comparisons and complete the summary of the main trends.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 3.5

There is a basic attempt to organise the response: an opening sentence is followed by an overview, and “Regarding 2007” appears to introduce a detail paragraph. However, the final section contains no information, so the response has no completed progression from overview to supporting details. The link “as compared to 2011 and 2007” is also left without a clear comparison, and the opening overview does not specify what the “highest bar” represents. Use separate, complete paragraphs for the introduction, overview and key data, and connect comparisons explicitly—for example, explain which income category rose or remained stable across the years. This would make the organisation easier to follow and the relationships between ideas clearer.

Lexical Resource: Band 4.5

The response uses a small amount of relevant vocabulary, including “bar graph,” “income,” “years” and “highest,” so the general topic can be recognised. However, the range is very limited, and several spelling and word-form errors make the writing less clear: “expendeture,” “similer,” “pattren,” “diffrence” and “hightest.” The phrase “house expenditure in a one year income” is also an inaccurate description of the chart, which shows numbers of households grouped by annual income. Build a more precise set of chart terms, such as “households,” “income bracket,” “number,” “rose,” “remained stable” and “fell.” Check spelling carefully and use the chart’s categories rather than substituting an unclear phrase.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

The response relies almost entirely on short, simple sentence patterns, so it shows little grammatical variety. Some basic meaning is understandable, but errors in sentence construction and punctuation are noticeable. For example, “Overall,we see…” lacks a space after the comma, while “In 2015 we see hightest bar and as compared to 2011 and 2007” is not a complete, well-formed comparison: it is missing an article before “highest bar” and does not finish the comparison grammatically. The fragment “Regarding 2007” also has no main clause. Practise complete sentences with clear subjects and verbs, accurate articles, and comparison structures such as “The figure was higher in 2015 than in 2011 or 2007.”

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