Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

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

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 number of jobs in United States of some specific sectors went through various changes from the year 1960 till 2020.

The manufacturing sector rose to 20 percent in 1980 which is the highest number of jobs that a sector can offer. Although it now stands at 14.5 percent, it is still a decent sector. The health care sector which had offered the most least jobs in 1960 rose up to 16 percent which is currently the highest number standing with retail sector.

The agriculture sector stood with retail sector back in 1960 however it didn't rise up like retail sector in the upcoming years and went to decline. Now it is the sector with lowest jobs in 2020. It remained at 4 percent for two decades, went to decline by some points in 2010. Agriculture is the growing economy in United States and is offering very decent amount of jobs.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

You identify several relevant broad patterns: manufacturing peaks in 1980, healthcare rises substantially, and agriculture ends as the smallest sector. However, the response only partially reports the graph and includes important inaccuracies. The chart measures jobs in millions, not percentages, so “20 percent” and “16 percent” misstate the units. Healthcare and retail both reach about 16 million in 2020, but retail is already around 6 million in 1960, not equal to agriculture at 6 million? They are equal then; the key later comparison is omitted. Agriculture falls from about 6 to 2 million, rather than remaining at 4 for two decades, and the claim that it is a growing economy is unsupported. Include a concise overview and accurate comparisons across the four years.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has a basic sequence, moving from manufacturing and healthcare to agriculture, and linking words such as “Although,” “however,” and “Now” help show contrast and time. Nevertheless, the organisation does not provide a clear overall progression: there is no distinct overview, and the final agriculture paragraph mixes a trend description with an unsupported general claim about the economy. Some references are also unclear, as in “it is still a decent sector,” where “it” could refer to manufacturing or its job total. Grouping the main trends into a clear overview followed by two comparison paragraphs, and using explicit references to each sector, would make the information easier to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant topic vocabulary, including “manufacturing sector,” “decline,” and “highest,” and the reader can generally understand which sectors you mean. However, the range is limited and several choices are inaccurate or unnatural for describing a graph. “20 percent” confuses the unit with a percentage, while “the most least jobs” is not a correct expression. Phrases such as “a decent sector” and “went to decline by some points” are vague and do not precisely describe the data. Aim for standard reporting language such as “employment,” “rose to,” “fell to,” and “remained stable,” while consistently using “million jobs” as the unit.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mixture of simple and more complex sentences, including a contrast clause beginning “Although” and a relative clause in “the health care sector which had offered…”. Most of the intended meaning remains understandable, but grammatical control is uneven. For example, “the most least jobs” has faulty comparative structure, and “the highest number standing with retail sector” is an incomplete and awkwardly formed clause. The opening phrase “in United States” also lacks an article, and “from the year 1960 till 2020” is less well controlled than a straightforward time construction. Practise complete sentence structures and check articles, comparisons, and clause boundaries while retaining your attempts at complex sentences.

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