Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-10-26

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 given chart illustrates the number of household in the US according to annual income in 2007,2011,2015.

Overall, the number of households earning $100,000 or more increased significantly and reached the highest level in 2015, while the number of households earning $75,000–$99,999 decreased slightly.

In 2015, the household earning $100,000 or more increased and achieve the nearest level of number is 33%. In 2011, it decresed slightly to 28 millions and in 2007 its number is 29 millions.

On the other side, less than $25,000 num

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 3.5

You identify the chart’s subject and give an overview, correctly noting that the $100,000-or-more group reaches its highest point in 2015. However, the response reports very little of the chart, and the overview’s claim that the $75,000–$99,999 group decreased slightly is incomplete: it falls from about 14.5 million in 2007 to 14 million in 2011, then rises to 15 million in 2015. The figures for the top-income group are also imprecise or mislabelled: the chart shows about 33.5 million in 2015, not 33%, and about 27.5 million in 2011. The final sentence is unfinished, leaving another income group unreported. The response is 86 words, below the required 150. Include a complete overview and comparisons across the main categories, with accurate units and figures.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5

There is a basic attempt to organise the response: an introduction is followed by an overview and then a paragraph with figures. The opening phrase “Overall” helps signal the summary, and “On the other side” attempts to introduce a contrast. However, the progression is not sustained because the final paragraph stops at “less than $25,000 num,” so the reader cannot follow the comparison or see how the response concludes. The sequence of figures for the highest-income group is also awkward, moving from 2015 to 2011 and then 2007 without clearly explaining the trend. Use complete paragraphs, group related categories together, and connect comparisons with clear references such as “By contrast” or “Meanwhile.”

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The response uses some relevant chart vocabulary, including “illustrates,” “annual income,” “increased significantly,” and “decreased slightly.” These choices show an attempt to describe trends rather than simply list figures. However, the range is limited, and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate: “the household earning” should refer to households, while “achieve the nearest level of number” does not clearly express a peak or total. “33%” also uses the wrong unit for a number of households, and “decresed” is misspelled. Aim for precise phrases such as “the number of households,” “reached a peak of approximately 33.5 million,” and “fell slightly.” Check spelling and use the chart’s units consistently.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You produce some understandable simple sentences and attempt a complex overview sentence using “while” to contrast two trends. However, grammatical control is uneven. In “the number of household,” the singular noun does not agree with the intended plural meaning; “the household earning … increased and achieve” shifts from past tense to an incorrect verb form; and “In 2011, it decresed … and in 2007 its number is” mixes past and present tenses. The sentence beginning “On the other side” is incomplete, so it cannot communicate a full idea. Use consistent past-tense verbs for the years shown, check singular and plural forms, and make sure every sentence has a complete main clause. Vary sentence structures only after these basic patterns are secure.

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