Band 4.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.0 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-10-25

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 present the number of households in the US by their annual income from 2007,2011 to 2015.

overall the higest number of us households is higher in 2015.

The higest number of households was in 2015 from approxmatelly 28 million to 39 million in this middle from 28 millon it fell so badlly to 15 million but in lastly it remain stable in the higest annual income of the privious year of the last past year and the lowest number of households was in 2007 from approxmatelly less then 26 million to 30 million it seems no change in this year from 26 million to 19 million in the milldle of annual income . In 2011 29 million to 30 million of households of annual income but it fall so badly in the milldle of year in between 13 million in lastly it will ballance into 29 million.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 3.5

You identify the chart’s subject and attempt to compare the years, but the main features are not reported accurately or clearly enough. For example, the claim that the highest figure rose to “39 million” is incorrect: the top value is about 33.5 million in 2015, for households earning $100,000 or more. Several figures and trends are also confused, including the statement that a category fell to 15 million and later remained stable; the $75,000–$99,999 group is around 14–15 million throughout. The overview is too vague to summarise the key pattern, and the response is 138 words, below the 150-word minimum. Organise the data by income band and report the clearest rises, falls and stable figures.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 3.5

There is an attempt to describe the chart chronologically, using references to 2007, 2011 and 2015, and “overall” signals an effort to provide an overview. However, the response is presented as one long, difficult-to-follow paragraph, with no clear separation between overview and details. Ideas within sentences are often jumbled: the passage beginning “from approxmatelly 28 million to 39 million” does not make clear which income group or year is being described. Connectors such as “but,” “in lastly” and “in the middle” do not reliably show the relationships between figures. Use a short overview followed by organised comparisons, and refer consistently to each income category so readers can follow the progression.

Lexical Resource: Band 4.5

You use some relevant chart vocabulary, including “number of households,” “annual income,” “fell” and “stable,” so the topic is recognisable. However, the range is limited and several choices are inaccurate or unnatural, which makes the comparisons hard to interpret. Phrases such as “fell so badly,” “in lastly,” and “it will ballance” do not express the intended data trends clearly; “highest” is also repeatedly used where you mean a value or category. Spelling errors such as “approxmatelly,” “millon” and “milldle” further reduce precision. Build a small set of accurate trend expressions—such as “increased to,” “remained broadly unchanged” and “declined slightly”—and use them with the correct income-band labels.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

The response attempts to form longer sentences and includes basic comparisons, but grammatical control is inconsistent. The opening, “The chart present,” has a subject–verb agreement error, while “The higest number of households was in 2015 from…” lacks a clear grammatical structure for comparing figures. Tense also shifts without reason, as in “it will ballance,” although the chart reports past years. Missing or misplaced punctuation and repeated run-on sentences make relationships between clauses unclear. Aim first for accurate, complete sentences with a clear subject, verb and income category; then combine related comparisons using controlled clauses. A consistent past tense and full stops between separate comparisons would make the information easier to understand.

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