Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-15

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 depicts detail abuout the number of jobs in four sectors of the economy in the US between 1960 and 2020.

Overall, in this line graph four jobs categories are defined ( Manufacturing, Retail, Agriculture, and Healthcare). The horizonal line shows the years and vertical line describes jobs in millions.

At the first, healthcare jobs in 1960 starts from 2.5million and in 1980 it reached to 5millions, it also boosts and reached at 11 million then it reached to its peak in 2020 approximately 16millions. As well as, jobs in agriculture sector have fallen in 1960 from 6million followed by 2.6million in 1980 and decreased 1million also in 2020. In the field of reatil and manufacturing both increased in 1960 and retail jobs increased from 5.6 millions to 10millions in 1980 or manufacturing jobs starts from 15millions in 1960 and increased to its peak at 20million and the suddenly fallen in next two

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

You identify all four sectors and include several relevant figures, such as manufacturing at 15 million in 1960 and 20 million in 1980, and healthcare rising to about 16 million by 2020. However, the response is incomplete: it ends mid-sentence (“in next two”), so the later manufacturing figures and the 2000–2020 retail trend are not reported. Some figures also differ from the chart: agriculture is about 3 million in 1980 and 2 million in 2020, not 2.6 million and 1 million. The overview mainly describes the chart’s axes and categories rather than summarising its main trends. The response is 138 words, below the 150-word minimum. Add a clear overview and complete the key comparisons.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5

There is a basic sequence from an introduction to a general description and then details, and linking phrases such as “Overall,” “As well as,” and “followed by” show an attempt to connect information. However, the progression is difficult to follow because the overview explains the axes instead of grouping the main trends, and the final sentence breaks off before completing the comparison. Several ideas are crowded into long sentences, particularly the discussion of agriculture, retail, and manufacturing, making relationships between figures unclear. Organise the report into a concise overview followed by separate comparisons of rising sectors and declining sectors, and use complete sentences with clear references to each year.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant chart vocabulary, including “depicts,” “sector,” “reached,” “peak,” and “fallen,” so the reader can generally identify the trends you intend to describe. However, the range is limited and several choices or spellings reduce precision: “boosts” is not a natural way to describe job numbers, “jobs categories” is awkward, and “retail” is misspelled as “reatil.” Phrases such as “the horizonal line” and “vertical line describes” are also imprecise for describing axes. Aim for accurate, conventional expressions such as “the figure for,” “rose to,” “declined to,” and “the horizontal axis shows.” Check spelling and collocations before finishing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt some longer sentences and use past-tense forms to describe changes, but control is uneven. Errors include “healthcare jobs … starts” and “it reached to,” where verb forms and sentence patterns are inaccurate. The sentence beginning “In the field of retail and manufacturing” combines several comparisons without a clear grammatical structure, and the final clause is incomplete (“fallen in next two”). Articles, plurals, and prepositions are also inconsistent in phrases such as “in 1960 starts from” and “5millions.” Use straightforward past-tense sentences first, for example, “Healthcare employment rose from about 2 million in 1960 to 16 million in 2020,” then check agreement, articles, and sentence endings.

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