Band 4.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-11

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 4.0)

The first line graph illustrates changes in percentage of household in electrical appliances between 1920 and 2019. The second graph demonstrates the number of hours of house work per week in per household.

Overall, the proportion of all the electrical appliances are increased by the years in the graph. Refrigerator was at the highest level.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 3.0

The response identifies the two graphs and gives a brief overall statement that appliance ownership generally rose, which is relevant. However, it does not adequately summarise the main features: there are no figures, no comparisons among the three appliances, and no account of housework hours falling from 50 to 11. The claim that refrigerators were at the highest level is only true in the later years; in 1920 washing machines were more common, and vacuum cleaners also exceeded refrigerators. The response is also substantially below the required 150 words, leaving the task largely incomplete. To improve, include a clear overview of both graphs and support it with key starting and ending values and notable changes, such as refrigerators reaching 100% by 1980.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5

The response has a basic, understandable order: it introduces the two graphs and then attempts an overview. The paragraph break also separates these functions. However, the development stops after two short statements, so there is no progression through the data and no comparisons to connect. The phrase “Overall” signals a summary, but the following sentence does not cover the housework graph, and “Refrigerator was at the highest level” is not linked to a time period or supporting detail. Build a fuller structure with an introduction, an overview of the main trends, and one or two paragraphs grouping appliance ownership and housework figures. Use clear links such as “By contrast” or “Meanwhile” where they express real comparisons.

Lexical Resource: Band 4.5

The vocabulary is sufficient to identify the subject and basic trends, using terms such as “percentage,” “electrical appliances,” “proportion,” and “increased.” There is some variation between “illustrates” and “demonstrates,” although the short response gives little evidence of a broader range or precise data-reporting language. A few choices are awkward or imprecise: “house work” is normally written as “housework,” and “the highest level” does not specify whether this means the highest ownership percentage or which year is being discussed. Use accurate terms such as “household ownership,” “share,” “rose,” “remained stable,” and “hours spent on housework,” while avoiding repetition and making comparisons precise.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

The response uses simple sentence forms that are generally understandable, and the opening sentence attempts to describe a period of change. However, grammatical control is uneven. In “changes in percentage of household,” the singular noun and missing article make the phrase inaccurate; “the proportion of all the electrical appliances are increased” has a subject–verb agreement problem and an incorrect verb construction; and “Refrigerator was at the highest level” lacks an article. The second sentence also uses “in per household” awkwardly within its grammatical pattern. Practise accurate noun phrases and agreement, for example, “the proportion of households owning appliances increased,” and use past-tense forms consistently when describing the completed period.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

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