Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-14

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 shows information the number of jobs in four sectors of the economy in the USA from the 1960 to the 2020.

Overall, Retail increased, while manufacturing decreased.

Health care had highest figure at the period.

At the beginning of the period , agriculture stood at 5 to the decreased at 3 in 1980 and continued drop around at 2 in 2000, in 2020 remain stable around 2 , also manufacturing increased at 20 in 1980 but in 2000 decline around at 16 in 2000, in 2020 decreased around at 13.

In contrast, Health care rise at 5 in 1980, also it continued to rise around 12 in 2000 and become the stable in 2020 around number 16.

The Retail beginning of the period at 6 in 1960, in 1980 climb around 4 degree and become at 10.

In 2000 continued rise and become at 15, they have higher in the graph because become at 16 in 2020.

In the end the period recorded lowest figure agriculture , and highest figure helthe care .

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the four sectors and include an overview noting that retail rises and manufacturing falls, then describe several changes across the period. However, the overview is incomplete and partly inaccurate: healthcare did not have the highest figure throughout; it reached about 16 million only by 2020, alongside retail. Some figures and trends are also misreported. Agriculture was about 6 million in 1960, fell to 3 million by 1980, stayed near 3 million in 2000, and then dropped to 2 million in 2020—not a decline to 2 by 2000 followed by stability. Retail rose from 6 to 10 million by 1980, rather than climbing by 4 degrees. A clearer overview and more accurate comparisons would strengthen the report.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has a basic structure, moving from an introduction and overview to descriptions of agriculture, manufacturing, healthcare and retail, with a final summary. This gives the reader some sense of the chart’s main subjects. However, progression is not consistently clear: several sectors are combined in one long paragraph, and the final sentence repeats the overview rather than adding a useful comparison. Linking phrases such as “In contrast” and “In the end” are used, but connections between details are sometimes awkward or unclear. For example, the agriculture and manufacturing trends are joined in a single sentence, making the sequence difficult to follow. Use separate, logically grouped paragraphs and connect related trends with precise transitions.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant chart vocabulary, including “increased,” “decreased,” “rise,” “decline” and “figure,” so the reader can generally identify whether a sector is growing or falling. However, the range is limited and several expressions are inaccurate or unnatural, which sometimes makes the data difficult to interpret. Examples include “climb around 4 degree,” “continued to rise around 12” and “they have higher in the graph.” Spelling errors such as “helthe” also reduce accuracy. Aim for precise collocations used for numerical trends, such as “rose to,” “fell to,” “remained stable at” and “reached a peak of.” Check spelling and avoid repeating the same basic trend verbs.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

The response attempts to describe changes over time and uses some joined clauses, but sentence structures are limited and errors are frequent enough to make parts of the report difficult to read. The opening, “shows information the number of jobs,” is missing a necessary preposition, while “from the 1960 to the 2020” has incorrect article use. Verb forms and sentence construction are also problematic in phrases such as “agriculture stood at 5 to the decreased” and “health care rise at 5.” Punctuation and spacing are inconsistent, and some sentences run several ideas together. Practise accurate past-tense reporting and build clear sentences around patterns such as “X rose from … to …” and “X remained stable at ….”

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