Band 4.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-08-25

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

The graph below gives information about the number of jobs in four sectors of the economy in the US between 1960 and 2020.

Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

Number of jobs in four sectors of the economy in the US, 1960-2020

Student answer (Band 4.0)

Intro:

The graph illustrate gives information about the number of jobs in four sectors of the US economy between 1960 and 2020.

Overview:

We overall graph display the number of jobs in four of the economy in the US, [redacted phone].Overall the graph body jobs in millions in this numbers 0,25 and in this year [redacted phone].

Details:

We display this graph first Manufacturing jobs starting with 15 and going higher like 20 jobs and next year 2000 going down side its reach like 16 and 2020 jobs millions reach 14.

Next job is Retail is starting [redacted phone] and its jobs start 5-15.Its like year going increase then jobs also increase.

Third job is Agriculture is start from 2-15.

1960 this job start from 2 seat and 1980 this jobs seats reached 10 seats in jobs working.2000 year seats reached in 15 seats working.

2020 jobs seats reached in 16 seats i thinks and its working.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 4.0

The response attempts to address the task by describing trends in four sectors. However, the information provided is often inaccurate when compared to the graph (e.g., the description of Agriculture starting at 2 and reaching 16 is not supported by the data). The overview is repetitive and fails to highlight the main trends or significant differences between the sectors. The response lacks a clear summary of the overall picture, and the data points mentioned are frequently incorrect or confusingly presented, which hinders the reader's understanding of the graph's actual content.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 4.0

The essay is divided into sections, but the internal structure is weak. The use of cohesive devices is very limited and often mechanical or misused (e.g., 'Next job is Retail', 'Third job is Agriculture'). There is no logical progression between sentences, and the paragraphing is unconventional. The repetition of phrases like 'jobs seats' and '1960-2020' creates a disjointed flow. The lack of clear transitions between the overview and the body paragraphs makes the response difficult to follow.

Lexical Resource — Band 4.0

The vocabulary is very basic and repetitive. The student relies heavily on simple words like 'jobs', 'graph', and 'display'. There is a lack of variety in reporting verbs or trend-related vocabulary (e.g., 'going higher', 'going down side'). The misuse of terms like 'seats' to describe employment figures indicates a limited range of vocabulary for this task. Spelling and word choice errors are frequent and occasionally impede the clarity of the information being conveyed.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 4.0

The response contains frequent grammatical errors that often obscure meaning. There is a lack of control over basic sentence structures, with many fragments and run-on sentences. Subject-verb agreement is consistently problematic (e.g., 'The graph illustrate', 'Agriculture is start'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, and the use of articles and prepositions is frequently incorrect. While some simple sentences are understandable, the lack of complex structures and the high frequency of errors significantly impact the overall quality of the writing.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.