Band 4.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-16

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 4.0)

The line graph provides the data related to number of employments in four sectors of the economy in the US from 1960 to 2020.

Overall, the manufacturing sector shows a significant increase among all four sectors before decline in the end, meanwhile the health care sector shows a steady rise all around the years.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 3.0

The response identifies the chart’s subject and attempts an overview, noting that manufacturing rises before falling and healthcare increases. However, the manufacturing trend is described inaccurately as a significant increase overall: it rises to a peak in 1980, then declines, ending below its 1960 level. The overview also misses the key comparison that retail and healthcare both finish at about 16 million jobs, while agriculture declines throughout. No specific figures or detailed comparisons are reported, so the task is addressed only minimally. The response is also 105 words below the required minimum; develop the summary into a complete report with an overview and selected figures for all four sectors.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5

The two sentences have a basic order: an introduction is followed by an overall statement, and “Overall” signals the shift clearly. This gives the response a small amount of organisation. However, there is no body paragraph and no progression through the data, so the reader receives neither a sequence of comparisons nor supporting details. The second sentence also joins contrasting trends with “meanwhile” in a way that makes the relationship slightly awkward. To improve, use a clear introduction, an overview, and one or two body paragraphs grouping related trends—for example, the declining sectors and the sectors that grow—and connect the comparisons explicitly.

Lexical Resource: Band 4.5

The response uses a few relevant terms, including “line graph,” “sectors,” “significant increase,” and “steady rise,” so the topic is generally understandable. However, the vocabulary range is narrow because the short response repeats broad trend language without describing peaks, declines, or comparisons. Some choices are also unnatural: “number of employments” is not the usual expression for jobs, and “increase among all four sectors” does not accurately express the manufacturing trend. Use precise chart vocabulary and natural collocations to report changes and quantities. For example, refer to the “number of jobs” and say manufacturing “peaked in 1980 before declining.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

The response includes a simple introductory sentence and a longer sentence with contrast, showing an attempt to vary sentence structure. The main ideas remain understandable, and the present-tense reporting verbs are generally controlled. However, the second sentence has a faulty construction: “shows a significant increase … before decline” needs a grammatical noun phrase such as “before declining,” and the clause after “meanwhile” is not smoothly joined to the first. The opening also needs an article in “the number of …”. Aim for accurate, complete clauses and check articles and verb forms; for instance, separate the two trends into clear sentences or connect them with a correctly formed contrast clause.

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.