Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 4.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-16
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 4.5)
The provided line graph illustrates the details regarding the amount of occupations in four various category from 1960 to 2020. The amount of jobs are measured in million .
Overall, manufactured having the highest amount of jobs in the starting . However , healthcare centre showed a shrap growth amongest sector.
In 1960 , manufactured sector was the highest job giving sector approximatly 15 million and it reached at 20 million in 1980 after then, there was only decreased in the amount of jobs , but
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 4.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 4.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 4.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 4.0 |
| Overall | 4.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 4.0
The response fails to meet the minimum word count requirement of 150 words, stopping abruptly at only 86 words and leaving the final sentence incomplete ('...but'). While the student attempts an overview and mentions some initial data points such as manufacturing at 15 million in 1960, the severe under-length prevents full development of the task. Key trends across the 60-year period, such as the dramatic rise of healthcare and retail, are missing, and the response trails off before concluding. Consequently, the task is addressed only partially, warranting a Band 4.0 for Task Achievement.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 4.5
The text is divided into short paragraphs and attempts a basic structure, including an introduction, an overview, and the beginning of body paragraphs. However, the overall progression is abruptly halted because the text is incomplete. Cohesive devices are minimal and sometimes misused, such as the abrupt contrast using 'However' or the fragmented transition 'after then'. Referencing is unclear in places, such as 'manufactured having the highest amount', where the category name is confused with the participle. The structural breakdown and lack of completion limit the score to Band 4.5.
Lexical Resource — Band 4.5
The vocabulary used is basic and frequently inaccurate. The student uses 'amount of occupations' and 'amount of jobs' repetitively, and confuses word forms, writing 'manufactured' instead of 'manufacturing' and 'shrap growth amongest sector' instead of 'sharp growth amongst sectors'. Spelling errors like 'shrap' and grammatical form errors heavily restrict the range of vocabulary. While some basic topic-related vocabulary like 'jobs', 'sector', and 'million' is present, the frequent lexical errors and limited range place this at Band 4.5.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 4.0
The response displays a very limited range of grammatical structures. Simple sentences dominate, and attempts at complex structures fail due to poor control, as seen in 'manufactured sector was the highest job giving sector approximatly 15 million and it reached at 20 million in 1980 after then, there was only decreased in the amount of jobs'. There are frequent errors in prepositions ('reached at'), articles, word forms, and sentence completion. These errors frequently strain the reader's understanding, resulting in a band score of 4.0.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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