Band 4.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.0 · 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 4.0)

The bar chart illustrates the numbers of households in annual income in usa from 2007 to 2011 and 2015.

Overall,all the trends fallows the upwards trend and the most households income has more than one millions are remains high .In contrast the individuals whose income are 50 to 74 are remains low in this trend .

In 2007, the mostly households incomes are above 20 millions to

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 3.0

The response makes a limited attempt to describe the chart, identifying the income group of $50,000–$74,999 as low and referring to the $100,000-or-more group as having many households. However, the overview that “all the trends” rise is inaccurate: the middle-income group stays level, while several categories rise and then fall slightly. The final sentence, “In 2007, the mostly households incomes are above 20 millions to”, is unfinished and gives no usable comparison. Most of the chart’s key features and changes are therefore missing or unclear. The response is also substantially below the required 150 words, leaving too little detail to summarise the data adequately. Select the main highs, lows and changes, and support them with accurate figures across all three years.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.0

There is a basic attempt to organise the response with an opening sentence, an overview beginning “Overall,” and a detail paragraph beginning “In 2007”. This gives the reader some sense of the intended structure. However, the progression stops abruptly: the final sentence is incomplete, and there are no developed comparisons to connect the years or income groups. The overview’s contrast marker “In contrast” signals a relationship, but the point that follows is not clearly expressed. To make the report easier to follow, use separate, complete paragraphs for the overview and key details, then group related income bands and compare their figures in a logical sequence. Linking words should clarify those comparisons rather than stand in for them.

Lexical Resource: Band 4.5

The response uses some relevant chart vocabulary, including “bar chart”, “households”, “income” and “trend”, so the topic is recognisable. However, the range is narrow and several word choices or combinations are unclear, such as “numbers of households in annual income” and “the most households income”. “Individuals” is also not an accurate substitute for households, and “more than one millions” does not clearly describe the highest income band. These choices make the intended comparisons difficult to understand. Build a small set of precise terms for describing household totals, income brackets and changes, and use them consistently. For example, refer to “households earning” a stated amount and describe figures as “the highest” or “the lowest” rather than using unclear phrases.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

The response attempts a few sentence forms, including an opening description and an overview with a contrast. However, grammatical control is uneven, and errors often make the meaning difficult to follow. In “all the trends fallows the upwards trend”, the subject–verb agreement and sentence construction are faulty; “the most households income has more than one millions are remains high” also combines incompatible verb forms and lacks a clear grammatical structure. The final sentence is incomplete, ending with “to”. There is little evidence of accurate complex sentence control. Practise writing complete sentences with a clear subject and verb, and check agreement, verb forms and sentence endings. A reliable pattern such as “The number of households earning X rose from A to B” would help.

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