Band 4.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.0 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-10-13

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 chart compares the data of households according to their annual earning in the US among three years. The figures are in millions.

Overall, the maxium incomed households showed fluctuations before reaching on top. In addition, second large

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 3.0

The opening identifies the chart’s subject and units, and the overview begins to focus on the highest-income group. However, the response stops mid-sentence at “In addition, second large,” so it does not provide a complete overview or report meaningful comparisons across the five income bands and three years. The chart’s key features—such as the $100,000-or-more group rising to about 33.5 million in 2015, while the $50,000–$74,999 group stays near 21 million—are not explained. The response also falls well short of the required 150 words, leaving the task only minimally addressed. To improve, complete the overview and include selected figures and clear comparisons for the main trends.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.0

There is a basic attempt to organise the response: an introductory sentence is followed by a separate overview paragraph, and “Overall” signals a shift to the main summary. However, the second paragraph ends abruptly with “In addition, second large,” leaving the relationship between ideas unclear and preventing any logical progression beyond the opening. There are no developed comparisons or supporting details to connect. Use a complete overview sentence, then organise the body by notable trends or income groups, linking comparisons with clear expressions such as “by contrast” or “whereas.” This would give the reader a coherent path through the chart information.

Lexical Resource: Band 4.5

The response uses some relevant task vocabulary, including “households,” “annual,” “figures,” and “millions,” so the topic is recognisable. However, the range is very limited, and several choices are inaccurate or incomplete: “annual earning” is less suitable than “annual income,” while “maxium incomed households” is unclear and appears to mean households in the highest income band. “Second large” is also unfinished, so the intended comparison cannot be understood. The spelling error in “maxium” further reduces accuracy. Use the chart’s category labels precisely and vary reporting language with terms such as “income band,” “number,” “rose,” “remained stable,” and “declined.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

The first sentence is a complete simple sentence, and “The figures are in millions” is also grammatically complete. However, the response shows little range beyond these short structures, and the overview sentence is incomplete: “In addition, second large” has no complete clause or clear grammatical relationship to the preceding idea. The phrase “the maxium incomed households showed fluctuations before reaching on top” also has an unclear structure, making the intended meaning difficult to follow. Build complete sentences around a subject and verb, and use straightforward comparative patterns, for example, “The number of households earning $100,000 or more fluctuated before reaching its highest point in 2015.”

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