Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-10-29

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 illustration gives information about the number of US households in millions by annual income. Overall,

It is quite evident from the bar chart that in 2007, there were 25 millions households, whose annual income was less than 25,000 dollar and 100,000 dollar or more were used in 30 millions households. In contrast, in 2011, less than 25000 dollar was used in 28 millions households and also 28 millions households, whose annual income was 100,000 dollar or more. 50,000-74,000 dollar were used in 20 million households. As compared, in 2007, 50,000 or 74,000 dollar were also used in 20 millions households.

Furthermore, in 2015, most of the households, whose annual income was 100,000 dollar and 25,[redacted phone]0 dollar were used in 28 millions households. As compared to, 75000 or 99000 dollar were used 15 million households and 27 million households were used in less than 25000 dollar. In 2007, there were 14 millions households, whose final income was 75000- 99,999 dollar.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.0

The response identifies the chart’s subject and includes some relevant figures, such as about 25 million households below $25,000 in 2007 and around 15 million in the $75,000–$99,999 group in 2015. However, it only minimally reports the main features: there is no clear overview of the overall pattern, and several figures or categories are inaccurate. For example, the $100,000-or-more group was about 29.5 million in 2007, not 30 million exactly, and reached about 33.5 million in 2015, rather than 28 million. The $50,000–$74,999 group was roughly 21 million throughout, not 20 million. Select the most important trends and compare them accurately across all three years.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5

There is some basic organisation: the response moves from 2007 and 2011 to 2015, and paragraph breaks separate parts of the report. However, the progression is difficult to follow because comparisons jump between years and income groups without a consistent structure. Phrases such as “As compared” and “Furthermore” do not always make the relationship between the figures clear, while repeated “whose annual income” constructions make the report feel repetitive. Grouping the information by trend—for example, the highest-income category, the stable middle-income category, and the lower-income categories—would create a clearer progression. A concise overview before the detailed comparisons would also help readers understand the main pattern.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The response uses a basic range of chart-related vocabulary, including “illustration,” “bar chart,” “number,” and “annual income,” so the topic is generally recognisable. However, word choice and collocation are often inaccurate or repetitive. Expressions such as “income … were used in households” do not naturally describe household counts, and “most of the households” is unclear when referring to a category’s figure. Income bands are also inconsistently written, for example “25,000-49000” and “75000 or 99000,” which can make the categories harder to identify. Use precise reporting language such as “the number of households in this income bracket stood at” or “the category accounted for,” and write the income ranges consistently.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response attempts some longer sentence forms, including clauses beginning “whose annual income was,” but the range is limited and these structures are often faulty. Plural and agreement errors occur in “25 millions households” and “50,000–74,000 dollar were used,” while several sentences lack a clear grammatical relationship between the income band and the household total. The opening also ends with “Overall,” but does not complete the overview. These errors sometimes make the intended meaning difficult to follow. Build more direct sentences with a clear subject and verb, such as “There were about 25 million households earning less than $25,000 in 2007,” and check singular/plural forms and sentence completion.

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