Band 4.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-28

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 chart display number of jobs in Manufacturing, Retail, Agriculture and Healthcare of the economy in the united states from 1960 - 2020.

Overall, Number of jobs increased in healthcare and Retail over the entire time period. Although

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 3.0

The response identifies the chart’s subject and period, and its overview correctly notes that healthcare and retail employment rose overall. However, it stops after an unfinished “Although” and gives no supporting figures or comparisons, so most of the task is unaddressed. It also omits the key contrasting patterns: manufacturing peaked in 1980 before declining, while agriculture fell throughout. The overview is therefore only partial and the main features are not adequately reported. The required minimum of 150 words is not met, which leaves too little development to summarise the data. To improve, complete the overview and add selected figures at the four dates to compare the sectors’ changes and relative levels.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 3.5

There is a basic attempt to organise the response: an opening sentence introduces the chart, followed by an overview beginning with “Overall”. This gives the reader a simple starting structure. However, the response ends abruptly with “Although”, leaving a sentence incomplete and preventing a clear progression beyond the overview. There are no developed detail paragraphs or linking comparisons between sectors and years. The capitalisation of “Number” after the comma also interrupts the flow slightly. For a more coherent report, use a complete overview, then group the details logically—for example, rising sectors together and declining sectors together—and connect comparisons with phrases such as “by contrast” and “while”.

Lexical Resource: Band 4.5

The response uses relevant basic terms, including “line chart”, “number of jobs”, and the four sector names, so its topic is recognisable. “Over the entire time period” is also an appropriate phrase for describing a trend. However, the vocabulary range is very limited because the response contains almost no description of change, scale, or comparison. The phrase “display number of jobs” is not a natural collocation, and “of the economy” is awkward in this context. More precise trend language would help communicate the chart’s main features, such as rises, declines, peaks, and stable periods. Check standard capitalisation of “United States” and sector names when used in a sentence.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

The response attempts a simple present-tense introduction and a present-perfect overview, and the main message that two sectors increased is understandable. However, the grammatical range is narrow, with only two complete sentences and no developed comparisons or complex structures. In “The line chart display number of jobs”, the singular subject requires “displays”, and the phrase needs an article or a different construction, such as “shows the number of jobs”. The final “Although” introduces a subordinate clause but has no main clause, so the sentence is incomplete. Practise accurate subject–verb agreement and complete sentences, then use structures such as “while manufacturing declined, healthcare rose” to express comparisons.

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