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 linear graph represents the quantity of jobs in the field of the economy from the late 90s to 2020 among four different sectors in America.

Among the four sectors of economy an incline in jobs is seen in healthcare from 1960 till 2020, whereas consistent decrease in jobs is seen in agriculture throughtout the same era.The highest job rate is mentioned in 1980s which is upto 20 million inmthe manufacturing sector. The economy of retail jobs was highest in early 2000s with jobs reaching plateu state till mid 2000s.The US economy faced major decline in agriculture sector from the start which represents low job availability. With advancement in technology healthcare economy was progressed gradually and had a slow start as compared to manufacturing sector that had the highest number of jobs available from the beginning.

The line graph shows a less interest of US economy in agriculture sector and high demand of healthcare in 2000s

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify several relevant broad patterns: healthcare rises over the period, agriculture declines, and manufacturing reaches its peak in 1980. However, the task is only partly addressed because the opening incorrectly says the graph covers the “late 90s to 2020,” omitting the earlier decades, and some comparisons are inaccurate or unclear. Retail does not simply reach a plateau in the mid-2000s; it rises from 6 million in 1960 to about 16 million in 2020. Healthcare also catches up with retail by 2020, a key feature worth reporting. The overview is present but underdeveloped, and the claim that technology caused healthcare’s growth is not shown by the graph. Focus on accurate trends and comparisons rather than unsupported explanations.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5

The response contains a general sequence from overall trends to sector-specific comments, and linking words such as “whereas” and “with” show an attempt to connect ideas. However, the information is compressed into one paragraph, so the overview and supporting details are not clearly separated. Several points appear in an awkward order: the manufacturing peak is mentioned before the reader has a clear account of the graph’s full time span, and the final sentence repeats the contrast between agriculture and healthcare without adding detail. Some connections are also unclear, particularly “The economy of retail jobs was highest…with jobs reaching plateau state.” Organise the response into a brief introduction, a clear overview, and two detail paragraphs comparing the sectors.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant vocabulary for describing trends, including “incline,” “consistent decrease,” “gradually,” and “decline,” and the meaning is generally recoverable. However, several choices are imprecise or unnatural for chart description: “quantity of jobs in the field of the economy,” “job rate,” and “less interest” do not accurately describe the number of jobs shown. “Plateu state” is both misspelled and an unsuitable description of retail’s continuing rise. There are also noticeable spelling and word-form problems, such as “throughtout,” “inmthe,” and “progressed.” Build a more reliable set of chart terms—such as “number of jobs,” “employment,” “rose,” “fell,” and “remained stable”—and use them precisely.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt some complex sentence forms, including the contrast in “an incline in jobs is seen in healthcare…, whereas…” and the clause beginning “With advancement in technology.” These attempts show some range, but control is uneven. The opening phrase “Among the four sectors of economy” lacks an article, and “an incline…is seen” is an awkwardly constructed passive. In “The highest job rate is mentioned in 1980s,” the tense and sentence structure do not clearly express that manufacturing peaked in 1980. Punctuation is also weak: there is no space after the full stop before “The highest,” and the response runs several ideas together. Use direct, controlled sentences with accurate past-tense verbs, and check articles, sentence boundaries, and punctuation.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.