Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-20

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

Number of jobs in four sectors of the economy in the US, 1960-2020

Student answer (Band 5.0)

The line graph illustrates the information related to jobs in four fields such as Manufacturing, Retail, Agreculture and Healthcare in the United States from 1960 to 2020. Jobs measures in Millions.

Overall, it is evident that Retail and Healthcare sector showed increasing number of jobs since 2020. On the contrast, Only Agriculture sector had decreased in ratio.

To Starts with, In 1960, 2 millions vacancies measure in Healthcare. from 1960 to 2020 it continuously rise and 16 millions jobs had calculated. Retail sector also had data to following increased ratio starts in 1960 with 6 million jobs It recorded same figure 16 million in 2020.

On the flip side of the coin, manufacturing sector recorded maximum jobs in 1960 as compare to other sectors that was 15 million. It increased by 20 million in 1980. After that, the figure goes down and measured 13 million in 2020. However, Agriculture sector had slightly decreased in number that was 3 million in 2020.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response5.0
Coherence and Cohesion5.5
Lexical Resource5.0
Grammatical Range and Accuracy5.0
Overall5.0

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify several relevant trends, including healthcare’s rise from 2 million to 16 million jobs and manufacturing’s peak of 20 million in 1980 followed by a decline. However, the overview is incomplete and partly inaccurate: “Retail and Healthcare … showed increasing number … since 2020” reverses the time frame, and agriculture did not fall continuously, remaining at about 3 million from 1980 to 2000 before reaching 2 million in 2020. The claim that agriculture had “3 million in 2020” is also incorrect. Important comparisons are underdeveloped, particularly that retail and healthcare both reached about 16 million by 2020 and overtook manufacturing. A clearer overview and more accurate selection of key figures would make the report more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a basic structure: an introduction, an overview, and paragraphs describing the rising and falling sectors. This gives the reader some sense of how the information is grouped. However, progression is uneven, and several linking expressions are either awkward or do not clarify the relationship between ideas. For example, “To Starts with” and “On the flip side of the coin” sound conversational, while “On the contrast” does not connect the overview’s comparison clearly. The healthcare and retail details are combined in a long, loosely punctuated passage, making the figures harder to follow. Organise the body by clear trend groups and use straightforward links such as “By contrast” and “Meanwhile,” with clearer sentence boundaries.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some task-relevant vocabulary, including “line graph,” “sector,” “increased,” “decreased,” and “recorded,” so the main subject is generally understandable. However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate, sometimes making the meaning unclear. “Jobs measures in Millions” is not a natural way to describe the unit, and “vacancies measure” does not accurately express the number of jobs. “Increased in ratio” is also unsuitable for describing a rise in figures. There are spelling and form errors, including “Agreculture,” and repeated reliance on “figure” and “jobs.” Use precise chart language such as “stood at,” “rose to,” and “fell to,” and check spelling and collocations.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple statements and longer sentences, and the reader can usually identify the intended trends. However, the range of reliably controlled structures is limited, and frequent errors in verb forms, agreement, articles, and sentence boundaries make parts difficult to read. Examples include “Retail and Healthcare sector showed increasing number,” where the plural subject and missing article affect accuracy, and “from 1960 to 2020 it continuously rise,” which has an incorrect verb form. The sentence beginning “Retail sector also had data…” runs together several ideas without clear punctuation. Practise accurate past-tense reporting and build shorter, complete sentences before adding more complex comparisons; also check capitalisation and punctuation at sentence starts.

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