Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-10-24

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 below illustrates the number of households in the US by their annual income in 2007, 2011 and 2015.

Overall it is clear that, on the year of 2007 25 million households income less than $25,000, 27 million households income was $25,000-$49,000, 21 million households income was $50,000-$74,999,14 million households income was $74,000-$99,999 and 29 million households income $100,000 or more.

In the year of 2011, income of households less than $25,000 28millions, income $25,000-$49,999 30millions, investment around $50,000-$74,000 in 22millions, income around $75,000-$99,999 and income $100,000 or more in 28millions.

On the year of 2015, investment of households less than $25,000 in 28millions, arround $25,000-$49,999 in 29millions, arround $50,000-$74,999 in 21millions, arround $75,000-$99,999 in 15millions and invested income of households arround 100,000 or more in 33millions.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 3.5

The response identifies the chart’s subject and reports figures for all three years, so the reader can recognise that you are attempting to cover the data. However, it does not provide a clear overview of the main trends: the paragraphs mostly list values rather than summarising key changes, such as the rise in the $100,000-or-more group by 2015 and the stability of the $50,000–$74,999 group. Some figures or category labels are inaccurate: for example, the 2007 $75,000–$99,999 figure is about 14.5 million, not 14, and the 2011 $50,000–$74,999 figure is about 21 million, not 22. The response is 112 words, below the 150-word minimum; 16 words copied from the prompt were excluded from the count. Add a concise overview and accurate comparisons.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The information is arranged chronologically, with separate sections beginning “Overall,” “In the year of 2011,” and “On the year of 2015.” This gives the response a basic structure and makes the time periods easy to identify. However, there is little progression from an overview to supporting details: the opening paragraph labelled “Overall” is actually a list of 2007 figures, and the later paragraphs repeat the same list-like pattern. Connections between categories and changes across years are not made clear, so comparisons are difficult to follow. Use a genuine overview first, then group related income bands or compare the most notable changes across years. More precise linking and reference would also reduce repetition.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The response uses relevant chart vocabulary, including “households,” “income,” “million,” and the income-band labels, so the topic remains understandable. However, the range is limited and several word choices are inaccurate or unnatural for describing this chart. “Investment” is used repeatedly for household income, although the chart reports household counts, not investment; “income of households” is also repeated where a more direct phrase would be clearer. Spelling errors such as “arround” are noticeable, and the repeated use of “around” does not always fit the figures being reported. Aim for precise reporting verbs and phrases such as “the number of households earning…” and “stood at,” while checking spelling and avoiding repeated wording.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

The response attempts simple reporting sentences and uses time phrases to distinguish the years, but sentence structures are repetitive and often incomplete or awkward. For example, “25 million households income less than $25,000” lacks a grammatical verb, while “income of households less than $25,000 28millions” has an unclear sentence structure. There are also problems with articles, agreement, and number formatting, as in “28millions,” and punctuation is inconsistent, including missing spaces after commas. These errors sometimes make the relationships between the figures and income groups difficult to interpret. Practise complete patterns such as “There were 25 million households earning less than $25,000” and maintain the same grammatical structure when reporting each year.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

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