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 graph shows information about four job sectors in USA. Its telling number of jobs in a period of 60 years. All four sectors have different tendency of jobs in each decade, in each decade the requirement of jobs varies according to economic condition. First of all if we talk about jobs in manuacturing sector, it's always in high demand as compare to other sectors. In early 1960's there were about 15 million jobs in USA market. Over the period of 20 years the number of jobs increased to 20 million which was at highest in 60 years, but after 1980 its start droping and till 2000 it droped to 16 million. In 2020 the requirement droped to 13 million lowest in era. In retail and healthcare sector it were few in 1960's about 5 to 6 million but over the period of 60 years it increased rapidly and by the end of 2020 it reached its highest demand of 16 million jobs. At last, agriculture sector is there. Which was always in lowest demand. In 1960 it was at its highest about 6 million jobs requirement. But over the period of 20 years it droped to 3 million jobs and remain around it for next 20 years. After 2000 it again droped till 2020 to 1 to 2 million jobs which was its lowest.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the main broad patterns: manufacturing rises to a peak and then declines, retail and healthcare grow, and agriculture falls. You also include several relevant figures, such as manufacturing at 15 million in 1960 and 20 million in 1980, and agriculture falling to about 3 million by 1980. However, the overview is not clearly separated or fully accurate: manufacturing was not consistently the highest, since retail and healthcare both reached about 16 million by 2020. The claim that manufacturing fell to 16 million in 2000 is slightly high compared with the chart’s approximate 17 million. The response also gives little direct comparison between the two growing sectors. State the key end-point ranking and the contrasting trends more precisely.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has a basic sequence, moving from manufacturing to retail and healthcare and then agriculture, and phrases such as “Over the period” and “At last” signal transitions. However, the organisation is not consistently clear: the opening combines an overview with unsupported explanation about economic conditions, while the main features are presented in long blocks rather than clearly grouped paragraphs. Some linking is mechanical or awkward, particularly “First of all if we talk about” and “At last, agriculture sector is there.” The relationship between retail and healthcare could be made clearer by comparing their starting points and similar 2020 figures together. Use a concise overview followed by logically grouped comparisons, with simpler, more precise transitions.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant vocabulary for describing trends, including “increased,” “drop,” “highest,” and “lowest,” so the reader can generally understand the intended changes. However, the range is limited and several expressions are repeated or imprecise, such as “requirement of jobs,” “in high demand,” and “droped.” Some word choices make the description sound less suitable for a graph report; the chart shows numbers of jobs, not demand or requirements. Spelling errors such as “manuacturing” and “droping” are noticeable. Build a more accurate set of trend terms and use them consistently—for example, describe job numbers as rising, declining, remaining stable, or reaching a peak.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt some longer sentences with time clauses and contrast, for example, “Over the period of 20 years the number of jobs increased to 20 million … but after 1980 its start droping.” However, control is uneven, and errors in verb forms, agreement, articles, and sentence construction occur frequently enough to make parts less smooth. Examples include “its start droping,” “it were few,” and the fragment “At last, agriculture sector is there. Which was always in lowest demand.” Punctuation and sentence boundaries also need attention, especially where several stages are joined into one sentence. Practise accurate past-tense reporting and complete sentence structures, while retaining a mix of shorter and more complex sentences.

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