Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 4.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-08-08
IELTS Writing Task 1 question
The charts below show the changes in ownership of electrical appliances and amount of time spent doing housework in households in one country between 1920 and 2019.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Percentage of households with electrical appliances (1920-2019)
Student answer (Band 4.5)
The line graph illustrates the employment proportion in three diverse sectors, which include the public sector, private sector and own business of the economy in Great Britain from 2000 to 2010.
Overall, it is evident that the public sector and self-employed workers increased over the period. In contrast, the private sector fell continuously, while the public sector recorded the highest figure for employment, whereas self-employed people had the least proportion throughout the period.
Looking at the details, the public sector grew from 38 in the first year, then rose sharply from 40 to around 50 in 2005, then 45 in 2006, before dipping to approximately 57 by the end of the period. Similarly, self-employed people grew from 18 in the initial year to reach 20 after two years, then 18 in 2004, before declining to about 30 in the final year, respectively.
In contrast, the private sector fell continuously from around 48 in the first year, decreased to 40 in 2003, and then decreased dramatically to reach the bottom at about just 20 in 2010.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 2.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 4.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 2.0
The response fails to address the task prompt. The instructions clearly ask for a summary of charts regarding electrical appliances and housework time (1920-2019). However, the student has written about employment sectors in Great Britain (2000-2010). Because the content is entirely unrelated to the provided visual data, it cannot be assessed as a successful response to the specific task. While the student does provide an overview and some data points, these are irrelevant to the actual prompt. Consequently, this falls into the category of a memorized or misidentified task, which severely impacts the score.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organized into logical paragraphs with an introduction, an overview, and body paragraphs. There is a clear attempt to use cohesive devices such as 'In contrast,' 'Similarly,' and 'before dipping to.' The progression of ideas is logical within the context of the (incorrect) data being presented. However, because the content is entirely disconnected from the actual task, the coherence is undermined by the fact that the information being linked is irrelevant to the prompt. Paragraphing is used appropriately, and the structure follows the standard format for an IELTS Academic Task 1 report.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary used is adequate for a report-style task. The student employs terms like 'illustrates,' 'proportion,' 'sharply,' and 'declining,' which are appropriate for describing trends in a graph. There is some repetition of basic verbs like 'grew' and 'decreased,' but the range is sufficient to convey the intended meaning. While the vocabulary is accurate in its own context, it does not demonstrate the level of sophistication required for higher bands, and the lack of relevance to the actual prompt limits the ability to showcase a wider range of topic-specific vocabulary.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The student uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are some grammatical errors, such as 'the public sector recorded the highest figure for employment, whereas self-employed people had the least proportion,' where the comparison is slightly awkward. Additionally, there are minor issues with preposition usage and tense consistency. However, the sentences are generally understandable, and the errors do not significantly impede communication. The control of grammar is sufficient for a mid-level band, showing an attempt at complex structures despite occasional slips.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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