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 graph compares the information about the ratio of opportunities in four sectors of the economy in US from 1960 to 2020

overall , four sectors of the economy were rise the manufacturing as since early , futhermore , drop the economy of agriculture .

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 3.0

The response identifies the graph’s general subject and attempts an overview, mentioning manufacturing and agriculture. However, it does not accurately summarise the main features: manufacturing rose to a peak in 1980 before declining, while retail and healthcare increased overall, and agriculture fell. The claim that “four sectors … were rise” is unclear and does not capture these contrasting trends. No figures or meaningful comparisons are provided, so the reader cannot understand how the sectors changed or which were largest. The response is also far below the required 150 words, leaving the task only minimally addressed. To improve, write a clear overview and support it with selected figures and comparisons from the graph.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.0

There is a basic attempt to organise the response, beginning with a sentence that introduces the graph and then using “overall” to signal a summary. These markers show some awareness of how a Task 1 report can be structured. However, the ideas do not develop in a clear sequence: the overview combines several unclear claims, and there are no body paragraphs or details to guide the reader through the data. The linking words “furthermore” and “overall” do not establish clear relationships between the points. Organise the report into an introduction, an overview, and one or two paragraphs grouping related trends, such as the rising sectors and the declining ones.

Lexical Resource: Band 4.5

The response uses a small set of relevant terms, including “graph,” “sectors,” “manufacturing,” and “agriculture,” so the topic is recognisable. However, the vocabulary is too limited and some choices are inaccurate or unnatural for describing a line graph. “Ratio of opportunities” does not clearly mean the number of jobs, and “drop the economy of agriculture” is not an appropriate way to describe a decline in agricultural employment. There is also a spelling error in “futhermore.” Use precise data language such as “number of jobs,” “employment,” “rose,” “fell,” and “remained stable,” and check spelling and collocations.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

The response attempts two sentence forms, including an introductory statement and an overview beginning with “overall,” but grammatical control is weak and the intended meaning is often difficult to follow. For example, “four sectors of the economy were rise” has an incorrect verb construction, while “the manufacturing as since early” lacks a clear grammatical structure. The opening also needs an article and more accurate sentence construction: “in US” should be “in the US.” Capitalisation and punctuation are inconsistent, including the lowercase opening and spaces before commas. Practise forming complete sentences with a clear subject and verb, and use past-tense verbs consistently to describe the period.

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