Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-13

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 information about the number of jobs in four sectors of the economy manufacturing retail agriculture and healthcare in the US between 1960 and 2020.

overall, it is clear from the graph shows, manufacturing had the highest number of jobs in the sector then declined by years , while the lowest is healthcare .

According to the what is shown, manufacturing on the top of the sectors with 15 million jobs in 1960 to 20 in 1980 then decreased to 13 in 2020 . And immediately following retail begins with 6 million jobs in 1960 then increase respectively to 16 in 2020 .

in terms of the graph, agriculture stared with 6 million jobs in 1960 after that is declined over the period of 1980 and 2000 to 3 then finished to 2 million in 2020, while healthcare the lowest in sectors increased gradually from 3 million jobs in 1960 growing up in 2020 to 16.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify all four sectors and report several key figures, including manufacturing’s rise from 15 million to 20 million before falling, and agriculture’s decline to 2 million. However, the overview is unclear and partly inaccurate: healthcare was not the lowest throughout, as it rose to 16 million and finished level with retail. The account also omits the important overall rise in healthcare and does not clearly compare the final rankings. Some figures are inaccurate: healthcare starts at 2 million, not 3, and manufacturing ends at about 13 million. The response is 147 words, below the 150-word minimum; the 12 words copied from the prompt were excluded. A clearer overview and more complete, accurate comparisons would strengthen coverage.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a basic sequence: an introduction, an attempted overview, and descriptions of the sectors. This gives the reader some sense of how the information is organised. However, progression is uneven, and the links between ideas are sometimes mechanical or unclear. Phrases such as “According to the what is shown” and “in terms of the graph” do not establish a clear relationship, while “And immediately following” is an awkward transition. The overview is not clearly separated from the details, and the final sentence combines agriculture and healthcare in a way that makes the comparison difficult to follow. Use distinct paragraphs and organise the details into meaningful groups, with accurate linking phrases such as “By contrast” or “Meanwhile.”

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use relevant topic vocabulary, including “jobs,” “sectors,” “increased,” and “declined,” so the main subject is generally understandable. However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are noticeably inaccurate, which sometimes makes the meaning less clear. For example, “manufacturing on the top of the sectors” is not a natural way to describe the highest figure, and “growing up in 2020” does not clearly express the healthcare trend. “Stared” appears to be a spelling error for “started,” and “respectively” is not appropriate for the retail figures given. Aim for precise trend language and natural collocations, such as “stood at,” “rose steadily,” and “fell to.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple statements and longer sentences using “while” and “then,” but the range is limited and errors occur frequently enough to make some sentences difficult to interpret. The overview contains the faulty construction “it is clear from the graph shows”; use either “the graph shows” or “it is clear that…”. In “manufacturing had the highest number … then declined,” the subject of “declined” is unclear, and “healthcare the lowest” lacks a verb. There are also problems with verb forms and sentence boundaries, as in “retail … then increase” and the long final sentence. Practise complete clauses, consistent past-tense verbs, and punctuation that separates each sector’s trend.

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