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 illustrate the relation of employement in four sector of economy in the US from 1960 to 2020.the 4 economy compartment is divide into manifacturing,retailer.agriculture and healthcare.the time period also divide into portion such as 1960 to 1980,1980 to 2000,and 2000 to 2020.

in 1960 jobs in healthcare is low however with time it increase and follow straight line reached approximately 15 millions. while manifacturing initially show high rate of 15 millions to 20 million in 1980 and then fall down to 12 millions.agriculture graph does not progress well start with above 5 millions in 1960 and down to approximately one two millions in 1980 and continously steady to this value to 2000 and then slightly fall from this to 2020.

retailer employement has second strong starting after manifacturing and similar to agriculture above 5 millions in the year 1960 rises to 15 millions in 2000 and from that it slightly up to 16 millions in 2020.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify all four sectors and report several relevant trends, including manufacturing peaking in 1980 and retail rising to about 16 million by 2020. However, the response only partly fulfils the task because it lacks a clear overview of the main comparisons across the whole period. The healthcare description is particularly inaccurate: it says employment “reached approximately 15 millions,” whereas the chart shows about 16 million in 2020, after rising from 2 million. Agriculture also falls to about 3 million by 1980 and remains there until 2000, rather than dropping to one or two million in 1980. State the overall pattern clearly, then support it with accurate key figures.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has some organisation: it introduces the graph and then describes trends, with manufacturing and agriculture grouped before retail. This gives the reader a basic sense of the information. However, there is no distinct overview, and the progression between sectors is not consistently clear; healthcare is mentioned briefly within the manufacturing discussion, while retail is left to the final paragraph. Linking phrases such as “however,” “while,” and “from that” are used, but some connections are awkward or unclear. For example, “follow straight line” does not clearly explain the healthcare trend. Use a clear introduction, an overview, and two logically grouped detail paragraphs, with comparisons that guide the reader through the data.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant topic vocabulary, including “line graph,” “employment,” “millions,” “rises,” and “slightly,” so the subject is generally understandable. However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate, which sometimes makes the description difficult to interpret. Phrases such as “4 economy compartment,” “second strong starting,” and “does not progress well” are not natural ways to describe sectors or trends. There are also noticeable spelling errors, including “employement,” “manifacturing,” and “continously.” Build a more precise set of trend expressions—such as “increased steadily,” “declined,” and “remained stable”—and check spelling and sector names carefully.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response attempts to combine ideas using clauses, for example, “while manufacturing initially show high rate … and then fall down,” but control of these structures is limited. Errors in verb forms and agreement occur frequently: “the line graph illustrate,” “the 4 economy compartment is divide,” and “it increase.” Articles, plurals, and sentence boundaries are also often missing or inaccurate, as in “reached approximately 15 millions” and the run-on opening sentence. These errors can make relationships between figures and time periods harder to follow. Practise accurate simple past forms for the historical data, subject–verb agreement, and sentence punctuation before adding more complex clauses. A few shorter, correctly formed sentences would improve clarity.

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