Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-08

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)

in sector of manufacturing job were highest in 1980 around (20 millions) and with every passing years it gradually decreased

wheras jobes were low in retail and health sector in 1980 but it started to increase every year by 2020 it was around (20 millions)

wheras agriculture sector never exceed 5-7 million it was at his highest in 1960 and started to decrease till 1980. the number stay steady till 2000 but started to decrease again by 2020 .

so conclude we see greatest variation of jobs in health and reatils sectors manufacture sectors were good but can't maintain jobs throught these years

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify several relevant trends: manufacturing peaks in 1980 and then declines, healthcare and retail rise, and agriculture falls overall. However, the report is only partial and some details are inaccurate or unclear. Retail and healthcare were both about 16 million in 2020, not around 20 million; agriculture peaked at about 6 million in 1960, rather than 5–7 million, and was roughly 3 million in both 1980 and 2000. The overview also misses the key comparison that manufacturing was the largest sector in 1980, while retail and healthcare were joint leaders by 2020. The response is 103 words, below the required 150, which limits the detail and development possible. Include a clear overview and support it with accurate comparisons across the period.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has some organisation: it discusses manufacturing, then retail and healthcare, then agriculture, before ending with a concluding statement. This gives the reader a basic sense of the chart’s categories. However, the ideas do not develop into a clear overall progression, and the repeated use of “whereas” does not always show a meaningful contrast. The final sentence introduces a broad conclusion without clearly connecting it to the figures. Paragraphing is also absent, so the overview and supporting details are not distinguished. Use a separate opening overview, then group related trends—for example, the rising sectors together and the declining sectors together—and use linking phrases such as “by contrast” or “over the same period” only where they clarify relationships.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant chart vocabulary, including “highest,” “decreased,” “increase,” and “steady,” so the main trends can generally be understood. However, the range is limited and several word choices or spelling errors make the report less clear, such as “jobes,” “reatils,” and “greatest variation.” “Variation” is not the most precise term for describing the sectors’ changing employment levels; “largest increase” or “most pronounced growth” would fit better. Phrases such as “with every passing years” and “good but can't maintain jobs” are also informal or imprecise for an academic summary. Aim for accurate trend language and sector-specific comparisons, while checking spelling and choosing formal collocations.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response attempts to connect ideas in longer sentences, for example, “the number stay steady till 2000 but started to decrease again by 2020,” but the range of sentence structures remains limited and errors are frequent. Verb forms and agreement are often inaccurate: “job were highest” needs a plural subject and an appropriate verb, while “the number stay” should be “the number stayed.” Articles and sentence boundaries are also problematic, as in “in sector of manufacturing job were highest.” Capitalisation and punctuation are inconsistent, and the final sentence is joined in a way that obscures its meaning. These errors sometimes make the reader work to understand the intended comparison. Practise accurate past-tense reporting and build clear sentences with one main trend per sentence.

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