Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-11-06

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 5.0)

The line graph illustrates the number of jobs in four sectors of the economy in the US from 1960 to 2020.

Overall, it is clear that manufacturing is the highest in 1960 while health care is the lowest. In contrast, retail and agriculture both are same.

In 1960, jobs in millions manufacturing had 15 millions. So, retail and agriculture had almost 6 millions jobs respectively. And the smallest in 1960 healthcare had 2 millions jobs.

In 1980, manufacturing dropped and 16 millions in 2000. But, retail had increased 10 millions and 15 millions in 2000. However, healthcare boosted almost 5 millions and 11 millions in 2020. While, in 1980 agriculture falled around 2 million then declined in over the period. In contrast, Health care significantly high in 2020 and manufacturing dropped. In addition, retail had growed over the period.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

You identify the graph’s subject and report several relevant figures, including manufacturing at 15 million and healthcare at 2 million in 1960, and retail at 10 million in 1980 and 15 million in 2000. However, the response is under the required 150 words, with 126 words counted, and the overview is incomplete: it notes the 1960 extremes but does not summarise the major changes across the period. Some data are also inaccurate or unclear. Manufacturing rose to 20 million in 1980, rather than dropping, and agriculture fell to 3 million in 1980, not around 2 million. The final healthcare figure is 16 million in 2020. Include a concise overview and accurately compare the main trends and endpoints.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has a basic structure: an introduction, an overview, and a paragraph with figures and trends. Time markers such as “In 1960” and “In 1980” help readers follow the chronology. However, the progression becomes difficult to track because several years and sectors are combined in the same sentence, and some links are unclear. For example, “manufacturing dropped and 16 millions in 2000” does not clearly state what happened in 1980, while “healthcare boosted almost 5 millions and 11 millions in 2020” muddles the years. The repeated use of “In contrast,” “However,” and “In addition” does not always show a clear relationship. Group the information by trend or sector and use linking phrases only where they clarify comparisons.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant vocabulary for describing a graph, including “illustrates,” “significantly,” “declined,” and “over the period,” so the reader can generally understand the topic and intended trends. However, the range is limited and some word choices or collocations are inaccurate, such as “healthcare boosted” and “manufacturing is the highest,” which make the description less natural. There are also incorrect forms in “falled” and “growed”; these are word-form errors that weaken precision. Use standard trend language and vary it appropriately, for example, “rose,” “fell,” “reached,” and “remained stable.” Take care to distinguish a sector’s job total from the sector itself when making comparisons.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and linked sentences, and the opening sentence is clear. However, sentence structures are limited, and errors recur in verb forms, agreement, articles, and number expressions. For example, “retail and agriculture both are same” has faulty word order and an incomplete comparison, while “manufacturing dropped and 16 millions in 2000” lacks a clear grammatical structure. “Retail had growed” also shows an incorrect verb form, and “15 millions” uses an incorrect plural after a number. These errors sometimes make relationships between figures and years difficult to understand. Practise writing complete sentences with a clear subject and verb, and check past-tense forms and singular “million” after numerals.

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