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)

Writing

Task - 1

in 20 min

150 words

This line graph gives the information about number of jobs in 4 sectors in the US between 1960 - 2020. In 1960, manufactory is on top to make 15 millions of the economy where healthcare is lowest to make less than 5 million. However, the year passes healthcare came, on top to earn 15 million in 2020. Retail and Agriculture started their earning from more than 5 million but when time goes, both are in opposite direction. Retail continue increasing till 15 million in 2020, but Agriculture goes down near 2 million in 2020.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify the graph’s subject and report several relevant trends: manufacturing begins highest, healthcare rises, retail increases, and agriculture declines. However, the response only partially summarises the data. It gives few precise comparisons, omits the manufacturing peak in 1980 and its subsequent fall, and says healthcare reached 15 million in 2020, whereas it was approximately 16 million and level with retail. The overview is also brief and does not clearly summarise the main changes across all four sectors. In addition, the response is 47 words below the required minimum, leaving the key features underdeveloped. Include a clear overview and support it with accurate figures and comparisons.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has a basic sequence, moving from the starting figures to later trends, and linking words such as “However” and “but” help signal contrast. Nevertheless, it is presented as one short paragraph, so there is little clear progression between an overview and supporting details. Some connections are difficult to follow, particularly “However, the year passes healthcare came, on top,” which does not clearly explain the change over time. The comparison between retail and agriculture is useful but could be developed in separate, logically ordered sentences. Organise the report into an introduction, an overview, and detail paragraphs, and use clear time references to guide the reader.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant vocabulary for describing trends, including “increasing,” “goes down,” “lowest,” and “opposite direction.” This gives the reader a basic understanding of the graph. However, the range is limited, and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate or unclear: “manufactory” is not the correct name for the sector, “make 15 millions of the economy” is unnatural, and “healthcare came, on top” is imprecise. Repeated use of “million” and general phrases such as “when time goes” also restricts precision. Use standard sector names and a wider set of accurate trend expressions, such as “employment rose,” “declined,” “peaked,” and “stood at.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response attempts to connect ideas with clauses using “where,” “when,” and “but,” but the range of sentence structures remains limited and errors are frequent. For example, “In 1960, manufactory is on top” shifts into the present tense when describing past data, while “the year passes healthcare came” has an unclear and faulty clause structure. There are also problems with articles, number agreement, and sentence construction in “Retail continue increasing till 15 million.” These errors sometimes make the intended relationships difficult to understand. Use the past simple consistently for the historical figures, check subject–verb agreement, and build shorter, complete sentences before attempting more complex comparisons.

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