Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

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

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 depicts the information about the number of jobs in four sectors of the economy in us between 1960 and 2020.

Overall, it depicts the number of jobs in four sectors of the economy the maximum jobs were in manufacturing in contrast minimum jobs were in the agriculture.

To begin it clearly shows that manufacturing reached in 1960 it is at 15 millions jobs in 1980 it reached 20 millions. but at 2000 year it decreased slowly at centre of 20 millions and 15 millions.it year 2020 it reached at 15 millions to 10 millions at centre.in second retail is increased from 1960 at 5 millions to 10 millions in year 1980 and at third it reached at 15 millions at year 2000.at the last it slowly increased from 15 millions in year 2020.

At the last agriculture started decreased from 5 millions in year 1960 and at 1980 and 2000 and at last it started decreased in year 2020.Healthcare is increased from year 1960 to 1980 in 5 millions in year 2000 it reached at 10 millions highest is in year 2020 at 15 millions.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify the four sectors and include some relevant trends, such as manufacturing peaking in 1980 and healthcare rising over time. However, the overview is incomplete and partly inaccurate: manufacturing was not the maximum throughout, since retail and healthcare both reached about 16 million jobs in 2020, while agriculture was lowest. Several figures and changes are unclear or misreported. For example, manufacturing fell to about 17 million in 2000 and 13 million in 2020, not to the midpoints between gridlines described; healthcare ended at about 16 million, not 15 million. Agriculture declined from about 6 to 2 million, but its stages are not clearly reported. Select the main comparisons and state them accurately.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5

The response has an introduction, an attempted overview, and paragraphs covering the sectors, so there is some basic organisation. However, progression within the body is difficult to follow because several sentences combine years and figures without clear relationships. Phrases such as “at third” and “at the last” do not reliably signal the sequence, and the manufacturing description shifts between years in a confusing way. The overview also repeats the task wording rather than clearly summarising the main patterns. Use one paragraph for the two declining or fluctuating sectors and another for the rising sectors, or organise each series consistently from 1960 to 2020. Clear links such as “by contrast” and “thereafter” would help when used accurately.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use relevant basic terms, including “increased,” “decreased,” “reached,” and “jobs,” and the reader can generally identify which sectors you mean. However, the vocabulary is limited and repetitive, and several phrases are unnatural or imprecise, such as “reached at 15 millions” and “at centre of 20 millions and 15 millions.” These expressions make the data harder to interpret. Use standard chart language and precise verbs to distinguish a rise, a fall, a peak, and a stable period. Also take care with forms such as “million,” which does not take a plural after a number, and use “the US” with appropriate capitalisation. More accurate collocations would make the report clearer and more concise.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

The response attempts to describe changes across several time points, but sentence structures are mostly simple or incomplete, and errors frequently obscure the relationships between figures. For example, “manufacturing reached in 1960 it is at 15 millions jobs in 1980 it reached 20 millions” lacks clear clause boundaries and consistent tense. The sentence about retail also ends with an unclear construction: “it slowly increased from 15 millions in year 2020.” Punctuation is often missing or misplaced, especially around sentence boundaries, and articles and prepositions are frequently omitted or misused. Build complete sentences with a clear subject and verb for each trend, and use past-tense forms consistently when reporting the historical data.

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