Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-07

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 illustrate provide information about the number in four manufacturing,retail,agriculture and healthcare sectors of the economy in the US from 1960 to 2020.

Overall number of jobs in retail and healthcare has increased in trand in 1960 to 2020 on the other hand the number of job in agriculture has increased in 1960 to 2020.

the number of manufacturing sector in 1960 has increased 15 millions jobs while in 1980 manufacturing has increased 20 millions jobs in contrast in 2000 has decreased around 3 millions jobs wherease in 2020 has decreased around 7 millions jobs in US. on the other hand the number of retail jobs in 1960 has increased around 7 millions jobs and in 1980 has increased 10 millions jobs in contrast in 2000 the number of jobs has increased 15 millions jobs and in 2020 has increased 1 millions jobs in US.the number of jobs in agriculture in 1960 has decreased 6 millions job and in 1980 has decreased 4 millions jobs in contrast the number 2000 same decreased while in 2020 has decreased the number of jobs 2 million jobs.the number of jobs in healthcare in 1960 has increased around 3 millions jobs in contrast in 1980 has increased 2 millions jobs and in 2000 has increased 10 millions jobs on the other in 2020 has increased 16 millions jos in the US.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

You identify all four sectors and cover the full period, with several figures that broadly match the graph, including manufacturing at 15 million in 1960 and 20 million in 1980, and healthcare reaching 16 million by 2020. However, the overview contains a major contradiction: agriculture did not increase overall; it fell from about 6 million to 2 million. Several later figures or changes are also misreported—for example, retail rose from 15 to 16 million between 2000 and 2020, not by 1 million, and manufacturing fell by about 4 million from 1980 to 2000, not 3 million. The response reports data but does not clearly select the main comparisons. A concise, accurate overview of the contrasting trends and leading sectors would strengthen it.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5

The response has a basic structure: an introduction, an attempted overview, and a paragraph describing the four sectors. This gives the reader a general sense of the subject and time period. However, progression is difficult to follow because the body is one long sequence of repeated comparisons, often joined by “in contrast” or “on the other hand” even when the relationship is not contrasting. The overview also conflicts with the data, which disrupts the overall line of argument. Sentence boundaries are unclear in places, such as “in US.the number,” and there is little paragraphing to separate the sector descriptions. Grouping related trends and using clear, accurate links between sentences would make the information easier to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use enough topic vocabulary to identify the graph’s subject, including “manufacturing,” “retail,” “agriculture,” “healthcare,” and “number of jobs.” Terms such as “increased” and “decreased” also show an attempt to describe trends. However, the range is limited and these verbs are repeated heavily, while several combinations are unnatural or imprecise, such as “increased in trand” and “increased 15 millions jobs.” Some wording makes it hard to tell whether a figure is a total or a change. Spelling slips such as “wherease” and “jos” further reduce accuracy. Practise using precise trend language and standard collocations, for example, “stood at,” “rose to,” and “fell by,” while checking spelling and plural forms.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response attempts longer sentences and uses time references, but most sentences rely on a repeated, faulty pattern: “in [year] has increased/decreased…” This leads to frequent problems with tense, agreement, articles, and sentence construction. For example, “The line graph illustrate provide information” combines incompatible verb forms, while “the number of job in agriculture has increased” has agreement and tense problems and gives an inaccurate trend. Missing punctuation creates run-on sentences, particularly in the long sector descriptions. There is some control of basic clauses, but complex attempts are often difficult to process. Build shorter, complete sentences first, using past-tense verbs consistently for the historical data, then add comparisons with correctly formed clauses and clear punctuation.

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