Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-17

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 given graph illustrates the number of jobs available in the US economy sector.It mainly shows the jobs in the field of manufacturing ,retail,agricultureand healthcare.

Firstly talking about manufacturing,the availability had significantly increased in the year 1980 which was about 20 million but unfortunately it reduced to 10 to 15 million in 2020.

The graph of retail kept increasing from 6 million to about 16 million in the years 1960 to 2020.Talking about the job availiblity in agriculture it has gradually decreased from 1960 to 2020.

Healthcare had a major rise in the number of jobs as it was just about 3 million in 1960 but in 2020 it has increased about 15 million

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

You identify all four sectors and report several broad trends, including manufacturing peaking in 1980 and then declining, and retail and healthcare rising. However, the response is brief and the overview is not clearly stated; the main comparisons between sectors are largely missing. Some figures are also inaccurate or imprecise: manufacturing falls to about 13 million in 2020, not “10 to 15 million,” and healthcare starts at about 2 million rather than 3 million. Agriculture’s decline is mentioned without figures or detail. The response also falls 36 words short of the required minimum. Add a clear overview, select accurate key figures, and compare the sectors at the beginning and end of the period.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a basic sequence: an introduction followed by comments on manufacturing, retail, agriculture and healthcare. This makes the information reasonably easy to follow, and phrases such as “Firstly” and “Talking about” signal movement between topics. However, the paragraphing and progression are limited, with each sector treated separately rather than grouped to highlight comparisons. Some transitions sound mechanical, and the opening sentence runs directly into the next because there is no space after the full stop. A clearer overview paragraph followed by logically grouped comparisons—for example, rising sectors versus declining sectors—would create stronger progression and make the relationships between the data easier to see.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use enough basic vocabulary to communicate the main subject and trends, including “increased,” “reduced,” “kept increasing” and “gradually decreased.” However, the range is limited and some expressions are awkward or imprecise for describing a graph. “Jobs available in the US economy sector” is unclear, while “the availability had significantly increased” is less natural than describing the number of jobs. There are also spelling errors, including “availiblity,” and the sector list is joined together as “agricultureand.” Aim for precise chart language and accurate spelling, using terms such as “employment,” “rose,” “declined” and “stood at.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You use mostly simple sentence patterns, with a few attempts to add clauses, as in “Healthcare had a major rise … as it was just about 3 million in 1960.” The main trends remain understandable, but sentence control is uneven. The opening has a punctuation and spacing problem (“sector.It”), and the manufacturing sentence shifts awkwardly from “had significantly increased” to “it reduced.” The phrase “in 2020 it has increased about 15 million” also lacks a clear grammatical construction for the final figure. Use consistent past-tense reporting and structures such as “rose from … to …” or “fell to …”; vary sentence forms while checking punctuation and clause construction.

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