Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-19

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 shows the numbers of eomployment provided by the four major sector sectors, which helped to grew economy of the United states from 1960 to 2020.

Overall, Manufacturing, Retail and Healthcare all three corporations had a significant increase over the period. While Agriculture declined its growth considerably.

At the beginning of 1960, The highest numbers of jobs given by manufacturing companies. whereas Retail and Agriculture began at the same number of jobs, and Healthcare had less than 5 million employeers. In 1980, MNC companies had given around 20 million, but afterwards, it showed drastic decline until 2020 with approximately 13 million jobs.

Between 1980 to 2020, only Retail and Agriculture showed considerable increase with almost same number of jobs, which was just above 15 million at the end of 2020. However, Healthcare remained with its slow decreasing trend, and in 2020, it had just around lowest employee of 3 million.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.0

The response identifies the period and mentions all four sectors, but its account of the main trends is substantially inaccurate, so the key information is not reliably summarised. The overview says manufacturing, retail and healthcare all increased, although manufacturing peaked at about 20 million in 1980 before falling to 13 million, and healthcare rose steadily from about 2 to 16 million. The later paragraph incorrectly says agriculture increased and healthcare declined; in fact, agriculture fell from 6 to 2 million, while healthcare became one of the largest sectors. Some starting and ending comparisons are relevant, but the central trends and rankings are confused. To improve, check each series against the graph and give a concise, accurate overview before selecting supporting figures.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has a recognisable paragraph structure: an introduction, an overview, and two detail paragraphs. It also uses basic linking expressions such as “Overall,” “At the beginning,” and “However,” which help signal stages and contrast. However, progression is weakened because the final paragraph groups retail with agriculture as increasing, then describes healthcare as declining, making the comparison difficult to follow. Some transitions are also awkward or incomplete, as in “Between 1980 to 2020,” and the repeated references to “companies” and “MNC companies” do not clearly identify the sectors. Organise the details by clear trends—such as rising sectors versus declining sectors—and use accurate references so each paragraph develops a consistent comparison.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The response attempts some task-appropriate vocabulary, including “declined,” “considerable,” “approximately,” and “trend.” However, word choice and collocation are often inaccurate or repetitive, which sometimes makes the meaning unclear. “Numbers of eomployment” is not a natural expression, “helped to grew economy” is awkward, and “MNC companies” is an unsuitable label for the sectors shown. There are also spelling errors, including “eomployment” and “employeers,” and “corporations” does not accurately describe the graph’s categories. Use standard chart language such as “number of jobs,” “employment,” “sector,” “rose,” and “fell,” and check spelling and collocations carefully.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

There is some variety in sentence forms, including contrast clauses with “While” and “whereas,” and most of the intended meaning can be followed. However, control is inconsistent, particularly in longer sentences. Examples include “which helped to grew economy,” where the verb form is faulty, and “Manufacturing, Retail and Healthcare all three corporations had a significant increase,” which has an unclear sentence structure. “At the beginning of 1960, The highest numbers of jobs given by manufacturing companies” is a fragment, while “Between 1980 to 2020” uses an incorrect preposition pattern. Capitalisation after full stops is also inconsistent. Build complete sentences with a clear subject and verb, and check verb forms, articles, and prepositions in complex clauses.

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