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 line graph illustrates the changes happened in the number of the available jobs in four different economy sectors in the USA between 1960 and 2020.

Overall, manufactring job opportunities accounted the highest number of jobs in most of time during the period while the figures of the healthcare jobs showed a different behaviour as it was the lowest in the most of time.

In 1960, manufacrung recorded 15 million job till increasing to reach 20 million in 1980 before starting steady decreasing till reached the least figure in 2020. Retail job figures showed considerable steady rising through the period and agriculture jobs showed the same trend as well. On the other hand, healthcare started with

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.0

The response identifies the chart’s subject and attempts an overview, noting manufacturing’s early prominence and healthcare’s contrasting pattern. However, the overview is inaccurate: healthcare was the lowest only in 1960, not for most of the period, and manufacturing was not highest throughout; by 2020, retail and healthcare both reached about 16 million. The account also misreports agriculture as rising, when it fell from about 6 million to 2 million. Most importantly, the final sentence is cut off at “healthcare started with,” leaving a major series unexplained, and the response is 34 words below the required minimum. These omissions and inaccuracies mean the task is addressed only minimally. Include a complete overview and accurate comparisons across all four sectors.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

There is a basic paragraph structure: an introduction, an overview, and a paragraph with some year-by-year details. Linking expressions such as “Overall,” “before,” and “On the other hand” show an attempt to connect ideas. However, progression is limited because several trends are grouped inaccurately, and the final sentence ends abruptly at “healthcare started with,” leaving the discussion incomplete. The overview and detail paragraph also do not clearly distinguish the main comparisons from supporting figures. Organise the report into a concise overview followed by logically grouped trends—for example, manufacturing and agriculture, then retail and healthcare—and use linking phrases to show contrasts without forcing them.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The response uses some relevant chart vocabulary, including “recorded,” “figures,” “period,” and “steady,” and the meaning is generally recoverable. However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are awkward, such as “available jobs,” “accounted the highest number,” and “steady rising.” There are also noticeable spelling errors in “manufactring” and “manufacrung,” which make key terms less clear. Use precise, natural expressions for describing data, such as “the number of jobs,” “accounted for the largest share,” “rose steadily,” and “declined.” Check spelling carefully, especially for repeated sector names, and avoid repeating “jobs” where “employment” or “employment figures” would be more suitable.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response attempts both simple and more complex sentences, including a contrast with “while” and a time sequence with “before.” However, errors are frequent, and some sentence patterns are difficult to follow. For example, “the changes happened in the number” has an incorrect clause structure, while “manufacturing job opportunities accounted the highest number” is missing a required grammatical element. The sentence beginning “In 1960” also has unclear tense and structure in “recorded 15 million job till increasing.” The final sentence is incomplete, so it cannot communicate a full grammatical idea. Practise accurate past-tense reporting and complete clauses: for example, “Manufacturing employment stood at 15 million in 1960, then rose to 20 million by 1980.”

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