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 illustrates about the number of jobs in four fields of the economy in the US from 1960 to 2020.

Overall, healthcare gained massive boost for the number of jobs, followed by retail, both of them has equal number of jobs in 2020. Whereas, agriculture has the least number of jobs, even after starting at the same point og retail. Manufacturing became the third highest producer of job after starting from the top of the graph.

In 1960, manufacturing had highest numbers in term of job, it peaked in 1980 with 20 jobs per milliom. But, it got a huge decline, and ended at 3rd position overall. Retail and agriculture started from the same position, from there retail reached to the highest and agriculture ended in last position.

Starting from the bottom, health care reached to the highest pos

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify several important patterns: manufacturing peaks in 1980 and then declines, agriculture finishes lowest, and healthcare and retail reach similar levels by 2020. However, the report is only partial and underdeveloped. It gives few figures beyond manufacturing’s 20 million peak, and the claim that retail “reached to the highest” is inaccurate: retail and healthcare are tied at about 16 million in 2020, while manufacturing remains higher than agriculture throughout. The final sentence is cut off (“health care reached to the highest pos”), leaving that trend unfinished. The response also falls 9 words short of the 150-word minimum. Include key values at several dates and complete the healthcare comparison to make the main features clearer and more fully supported.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5

The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, an overview and two detail paragraphs, and it uses basic linking expressions such as “Overall,” “Whereas” and “But.” However, progression is uneven: the second detail paragraph repeats the overview’s points about retail and agriculture rather than adding precise comparisons, and the final paragraph ends mid-sentence. Some links are awkward or unclear, particularly “Whereas, agriculture…” as a standalone sentence and “from there retail reached…,” which does not clearly specify the stages being compared. Organise the details by trends or time periods, use clear references to the years, and ensure each paragraph develops a complete point.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant vocabulary for describing trends, including “peaked,” “decline,” “starting” and “ended,” and the reader can generally identify the sectors and broad movements. However, the range is limited and several choices are inaccurate or unnatural, such as “massive boost for the number of jobs,” “producer of job,” and “reached to the highest.” There are also spelling errors in “milliom” and “og,” which reduce control. Use standard chart language and precise nouns: for example, describe employment figures as rising or falling, and refer to a sector’s number of jobs rather than its position as a “producer.” More varied, accurate trend vocabulary would make the comparisons clearer.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response attempts some complex structures, including “even after starting at the same point…” and “after starting from the top of the graph,” but control is inconsistent and the sentence patterns are mostly simple. Agreement errors appear in “both of them has equal number” and “manufacturing had highest numbers.” Articles and sentence construction also need attention: “manufacturing had highest numbers in term of job” is not grammatically well formed, while “Whereas, agriculture…” is an incomplete dependent clause. The final sentence is unfinished, so its structure cannot be followed. Practise complete comparisons with accurate subject–verb agreement and articles, and check that every sentence has a clear main clause.

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