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 line graph illustrates the number of jobs in four sectors of the economy in the US, from 1960 to 2020.

Overall, there are four jobs given in the line graph that are manufacturing, retail, agriculture and, healthcare. The most intresting and eye-catching feature is the drastic boost in agriculture industry and fall in manufacturing industry.

To begin with in 1960, manufacturing industry was on peak and was contributing the most to the economy. There were 15 million jobs in manufacturing industry which, eventually rose up to 20 million jobs in 1980 . Before 2000, the manufacturing industry was thriving on success.

However, in 2000 there was a fall in manufacturing industry and rise in retail and healthcare industry at the same time. Agriculture industry in 1960 was providing 5 million jobs also face a fall in upcoming years and was providing approx 3 million jobs in 2020.

In conclusion, retail and healthcare faced a growth provide around 16 million jobs in 2020 from 6 million and 3 million . However, healthcare and agriculture sector faced a loss and provided only 13 million and 2 million jobs in 2020.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

You identify the four sectors and report some relevant figures, including manufacturing’s rise from 15 million jobs in 1960 to 20 million in 1980 and its later decline. However, the overview is inaccurate: agriculture did not rise drastically; it fell, while manufacturing also declined after 1980. The final paragraph further confuses the trends, saying agriculture provided 13 million jobs and healthcare 2 million in 2020, when these figures belong to manufacturing and agriculture respectively. Retail and healthcare both reached about 16 million. Several key comparisons are therefore missing or misreported, and the account of the 2000–2020 period is limited. Give a clear, accurate overview first, then compare the main changes using the chart’s figures.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, two body paragraphs and a concluding paragraph. Time markers such as “in 1960,” “in 2000” and “in 2020” help readers follow the chronology, and “However” signals contrast. Nevertheless, progression is uneven: the overview highlights the wrong agriculture trend, and the conclusion repeats information while assigning figures to the wrong sectors. Some links between ideas are also awkward, as in “Agriculture industry in 1960 … also face a fall in upcoming years.” Organise the body by meaningful trends—for example, manufacturing and agriculture declines versus retail and healthcare growth—and use clear references to avoid repetition and confusion.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a reasonable range of topic vocabulary, including “manufacturing,” “retail,” “agriculture,” “contributing” and “growth,” so the subject is generally clear. There are also attempts at more descriptive language, such as “drastic boost” and “thriving on success,” but these are imprecise or too informal for a factual graph summary. Spelling errors such as “intresting” and “eye-catching” (the latter is not a useful analytical description here), along with repeated use of “industry,” reduce accuracy and control. Prefer neutral, precise trend language and vary expressions for increases and decreases. For example, describe a sector’s employment as rising, falling, peaking or remaining stable rather than making broad claims about its success.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more extended sentence forms, and the main meaning is usually recoverable. However, complex constructions are often faulty, as in “Agriculture industry in 1960 was providing 5 million jobs also face a fall,” where the clauses are not joined correctly and the verb form is inconsistent. Other problems include missing articles in “manufacturing industry,” agreement and sentence structure in “retail and healthcare faced a growth provide,” and punctuation spacing around figures and full stops. The opening overview also uses an awkward construction, “there are four jobs given.” Build clearer sentences with a subject and a correctly formed verb in each clause, and check articles, tense consistency and punctuation when editing.

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