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 illustrates the change in number of jobs in Manufacturing, Retail, Agriculture and Healthcare between 1920 to 2020.

Overall, healthcare experienced a significant upward trend, whereas agriculture followed a downward trajectory. Meanwhile, manufacturing was the only job that saw a decline in economy. However, retail also experienced the highest trend throughout the period.

At the beginning of the period, manufacturing stood at 15 millions of job, considerably higher than healthcare. Following this, the figure for healthcare increased steadily reaching 16 millions of job in 2020, before rising sharply to 2 millions of job by 1960. However, manufacturing decreased in 1980, reached at 8 millions in 2020.

In contrast, in 1960, agriculture stood at 6 millions of job, over the 2 decade it fell modestly to 3.5 millions, at the end reached at 2 millions. Although, the figure for retail rose from 6 to 16 millions of job.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.0

The response identifies some relevant broad patterns, especially healthcare’s rise and agriculture’s decline, and includes several figures. However, key details are inaccurate or confusing: the period is given as starting in 1920 rather than 1960, manufacturing is said to decline in 1980 despite reaching its peak of 20 million then, and the healthcare sentence reverses the sequence by saying it rose to 16 million before falling to 2 million. The claim that retail had the “highest trend throughout” is also unsupported; it rose steadily and only matched healthcare at the end. The overview therefore does not reliably summarise the main comparisons, and several trends are under-reported. The response is also one word below the required minimum.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

There is a recognisable paragraph structure: an introduction, an overview, and two detail paragraphs. Basic linking expressions such as “Overall,” “Meanwhile,” and “In contrast” help signal relationships between points. However, progression is weakened by contradictory sequencing, particularly the healthcare account, which places its 2020 value before a supposed rise to its 1960 value. The manufacturing details are also difficult to follow because the stated decline in 1980 conflicts with the chart. Some transitions, including repeated “However,” do not express the intended contrast clearly, and the final paragraph combines agriculture and retail without fully developing either comparison. Clearer grouping by trend and more accurate sequencing would improve the flow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The response uses a reasonable selection of task-related vocabulary, including “upward trend,” “downward trajectory,” “steadily,” and “modestly,” which helps describe changes in the lines. There is also some variation in how trends are expressed. However, several phrases are imprecise or unnatural, such as “the highest trend,” “the only job that saw a decline in economy,” and “stood at 15 millions of job.” These choices sometimes make the intended comparison unclear. Repeated use of “figure” and “millions of job” also limits precision. Aim for accurate collocations and distinguish a sector’s employment level from the direction or rate of its change.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response attempts a mix of simple and more complex forms, including clauses beginning with “whereas,” “Following this,” and “Although.” Most sentences remain understandable, but errors in tense, agreement, articles, and sentence construction are noticeable. For example, “between 1920 to 2020” uses an incorrect preposition pattern, while “15 millions of job” has number and plural errors. The sentence “Although, the figure for retail rose…” is not correctly formed as a subordinate clause, and “reached at 2 millions” uses an incorrect verb pattern. The healthcare sentence also has a confusing sequence of verb forms. More careful editing of these patterns would make the comparisons clearer.

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