Band 4.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-10

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)

The line graph illsutrates the data about the number of jobs in manufacturing, retail, agriculture and healthcare of the economy in the US between 1960 and 2020.

Overall, there was a considerable increase in manufacturing, retail and healthcare till 1980, while in health care there is a substantial decrease till 1980.

in retail and agriculture

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 2.5

The opening identifies the chart’s subject and time period, but the response does not meaningfully summarise the data. The overview is inaccurate: manufacturing rose to 1980 and then fell, while retail and healthcare increased overall; agriculture declined. Instead, the text says manufacturing, retail and healthcare increased until 1980, then claims healthcare decreased, which does not match the chart. The unfinished phrase “in retail and agriculture” gives no usable comparison or detail, and there are no figures to support the account. The response is also 105 words below the required minimum, so it leaves most of the task unanswered. To improve, give an accurate overview and report key values and changes for all four sectors in a complete response of at least 150 words.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.0

There is a basic attempt to organise the response: an introductory sentence is followed by an overview signalled by “Overall”. This gives the reader a starting point, but the progression stops almost immediately. The final fragment, “in retail and agriculture”, is disconnected from the preceding sentence and does not complete an idea, while no body paragraph develops comparisons or supporting details. As a result, the response lacks a coherent overall arrangement and the relationship between the sectors is unclear. Use a clear sequence—introduction, overview, then one or two paragraphs comparing the main trends—and connect complete sentences with appropriate linking language.

Lexical Resource: Band 4.5

The response uses some relevant chart vocabulary, including “line graph”, “number of jobs”, “considerable increase” and “substantial decrease”. These choices show an attempt to describe trends, but the range is very limited because the response is so short, and some wording is inaccurate or awkward. “illsutrates” is misspelled, and “of the economy in the US” is an unclear way to describe the sectors. The phrase “considerable increase” is also applied to trends that do not all rise to 1980. Build a more precise range for describing movement and comparison, such as “peaked at”, “declined steadily” and “overtook”, and check spelling and collocations.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

The opening sentence is a complete sentence, and the writer attempts a more complex overview using “while”. However, the grammatical range is narrow, with only two sentence attempts and no developed supporting sentences. The overview shifts from past to present—“there was” followed by “there is”—without a clear reason, and the second sentence is followed by a lowercase, incomplete fragment: “in retail and agriculture”. This punctuation and sentence-boundary problem leaves the final idea unfinished. Practise writing complete sentences with consistent past-tense reporting, for example, “Manufacturing rose to 20 million in 1980, before declining.” Add varied comparison structures and check that each sentence has a clear subject and verb.

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