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 presented graph shows a line chart that discuss the fluctuates been made between four different sectors of US between 1960 and 2020. The given graph is calibrated in millions. The graph particularly focuses on the job market of the given industries.

Overall, the employment opportunities remained highest in the manufacturing industry from 1960 to 2000. Though it started to drop from 1980, and it gradually lost the number of employees compare to other sectors after 2000.

To embark with, the field of manufacturing was at peak in 1980 but later it declined to below the margin of 15 millions job opportunities. A similar trend was seen in the Healthcare that had a gradual fall since 1960 and had reached to the lowest employment rate by 2020. Whereas, Retail as well as Agriculture sectors showed an opposite trend since the beginning of given timeline such that in 21st century both the fields have created most number of jobs in US economy.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.0

The response identifies the chart’s subject and attempts an overview, but it reports several central trends inaccurately, so the main features are not reliably summarised. Manufacturing did peak in 1980 and then decline, but it remained at 17 million in 2000 and fell to about 13 million by 2020; the claim that it was highest through 2000 overlooks retail’s rise to 15 million by then. More seriously, healthcare rose steadily from about 2 to 16 million, rather than falling to the lowest level. Agriculture declined, not increased, and retail and healthcare—not retail and agriculture—were the leading sectors in 2020. Select the major rises and falls accurately and support the overview with key comparisons.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and a paragraph beginning “To embark with” for details. This gives the reader some organisation, and linking expressions such as “Overall,” “Though,” and “Whereas” signal relationships between ideas. However, progression is weakened because the detail paragraph combines unrelated trends and contains comparisons that are difficult to follow, particularly the claim that healthcare fell while retail and agriculture moved in the opposite direction. Some linking is also mechanical, and “Though” begins a fragment rather than a complete sentence. Group the series by clear patterns—such as rising sectors and declining sectors—and use accurate references so each comparison follows logically.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The writer uses some task-related vocabulary, including “line chart,” “millions,” “declined,” and “employment rate,” and attempts more formal phrasing. However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate or unnatural, which makes parts of the report harder to interpret. For example, “the fluctuates been made” does not express the chart’s changes clearly, while “below the margin of 15 millions job opportunities” is an awkward way to describe a figure. “Created most number of jobs” is also imprecise for reporting employment levels. Use standard chart language such as “fluctuations,” “fell to around 13 million,” and “had the highest number of jobs”; take care to distinguish jobs from opportunities.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

There are attempts at complex sentences, including “Though it started to drop from 1980” and the sentence beginning “Whereas, Retail as well as Agriculture…”. However, control is inconsistent, and errors in sentence formation and agreement sometimes make the meaning difficult to follow. “The presented graph shows a line chart that discuss” has a subject–verb agreement error, while “Though it started to drop from 1980” is an incomplete sentence. The construction “a similar trend was seen in the Healthcare that had a gradual fall” also creates a faulty relative clause and misstates the trend. Practise complete sentences with clear subjects and verbs, and check agreement, articles, and plural forms when describing figures.

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