Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-24

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 graph illustrates figure regarding the data of employment in four industries of the US economy in 60 years.

Overall, Manufacturing industry was the leading sector throughout the period, despite its gradual decline. Retail and Healthcare industry were the growing area in the job market, showing dramatic surge over the period. Whereas, Agriculture remains marginally declining, without much growth seen for

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.0

You identify the chart’s subject and mention several relevant trends: manufacturing declines after rising, retail and healthcare grow, and agriculture falls. However, the response is incomplete and addresses the task only minimally. The overview incorrectly says manufacturing was the leading sector throughout: by 2020, retail and healthcare are both at about 16 million jobs, compared with manufacturing at about 13 million. The final sentence also breaks off at “without much growth seen for,” leaving the agriculture point unfinished. Most importantly, there are no supporting figures or detailed comparisons, such as manufacturing peaking at 20 million in 1980 or healthcare rising from 2 to 16 million. The response is also 89 words below the required minimum. Include a complete overview and select key figures to support it.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a basic, sensible structure: an opening sentence is followed by an overview, and “Overall” signals the shift to the main features. The contrast introduced by “despite” also helps connect manufacturing’s initial position with its later decline. However, there is no developed body paragraph, so the reader receives no ordered account of the figures or comparisons. The final sentence ends abruptly at “for,” which interrupts the progression and leaves the overview unfinished. “Whereas” is also used as a sentence opener without a complete contrasting clause. To improve, organise the response into an introduction, a concise overview, and one or two paragraphs comparing the sectors across the years, using clear links between ideas.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant topic vocabulary, including “employment,” “sector,” “job market,” “gradual decline,” and “dramatic surge,” showing an attempt to describe trends rather than simply list data. However, the range is limited in this short response, and several phrases are awkward or imprecise: “illustrates figure regarding the data” is unnecessarily repetitive, while “growing area” is vague for describing employment sectors. “Marginally declining” does not clearly convey the steady fall in agriculture jobs. More precise trend language would help you report the chart accurately, for example, describing a rise, a peak, a plateau, or a fall and attaching those terms to the relevant sector and period. Aim for natural collocations and avoid repeating broad terms such as “industry” and “sector.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response attempts a complex overview sentence, using “despite” and “Whereas” to express contrast, but control is inconsistent. In “Manufacturing industry was the leading sector,” the singular count noun needs an article, and “Retail and Healthcare industry were” has a subject–verb agreement problem because the subject names two sectors. The final clause, “without much growth seen for,” is incomplete and has no finished grammatical structure. The opening sentence also lacks a clear grammatical relationship between “illustrates” and “figure regarding the data.” Most sentences are short or incomplete, so there is little evidence of a controlled range of structures. Practise complete comparisons and check articles, agreement, and sentence boundaries before finishing.

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.