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)

This graph illusrates information about number of jobs in Manufacturing, Retail, Agriculture and Healthcare sector of US economy between 1960 and 2020.

Overall, every jobs sectors faced a massive fluctuations in every period of time. However, healthcare sector started from lowest point before rising the number of jobs. Whereas, agriculture sector decline steadly in period of time

From 1960 to 1980, Manufacturing sectors records the highest number of jobs which were approximately 15 million and reached at 20 million. Whereas, from 2000 to 2020, the number started decreases and remained at 13 million. Furthermore, retail sector offers approximately 6 million jobs in 1960. From 11980 to 2020, retail sector increase signification number in every year and reached at 17 million.

On the other hand, agriculture starts offer 3 million jobs in 1960 but after some time the number rose and reaa

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.0

The response identifies the four sectors and gives some relevant comparisons, including manufacturing’s rise to about 20 million in 1980 and subsequent fall to 13 million, and healthcare’s low starting point. However, the overview is inaccurate: it says every sector had “massive fluctuations,” although agriculture generally declined and healthcare rose steadily. The account of agriculture is unfinished and does not report its later values or trend, while healthcare’s substantial growth to about 16 million is not described. The retail figure of 17 million is slightly high, and the claim that it increased “in every year” is not supported by the four plotted points. The response is also below the required 150 words. Cover the main trends accurately and complete the summary.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

There is some organisation: an introduction is followed by an overview and then paragraphs that attempt to compare sectors. Linking expressions such as “Overall,” “Furthermore” and “On the other hand” show an effort to guide the reader. However, progression is limited because the final paragraph breaks off at “the number rose and reaa,” leaving the agriculture discussion incomplete. The overview also does not clearly prepare the reader for the details, and repeated “Whereas” constructions make the connections between points awkward. Grouping the sectors by their contrasting trends, then completing each comparison, would create a clearer progression. Use linking words only where the relationship between the ideas is clear.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The response uses relevant topic vocabulary, including “Manufacturing,” “Agriculture,” “number of jobs,” “rising” and “decline,” so the main subject is generally understandable. There is some attempt to describe change, but several word choices and forms are inaccurate or unnatural: “massive fluctuations” overstates the pattern, “decline steadly” is misspelled, and “increase signification number” does not express the intended rise clearly. “Offers jobs” is also less suitable for describing chart figures than “provided” or “accounted for.” The unfinished word “reaa” further interrupts communication. Aim for precise trend language and check spelling and collocations; this will make the description clearer without requiring more elaborate vocabulary.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response attempts both simple and more complex sentences, for example, “However, healthcare sector started from lowest point before rising the number of jobs.” Nevertheless, errors are frequent, and some sentence patterns are faulty enough to make the meaning difficult to follow. Examples include “every jobs sectors faced,” “Manufacturing sectors records,” and “the number started decreases”; these show problems with agreement and verb forms. Articles and sentence construction are also inconsistent, as in “healthcare sector” and “reached at 20 million.” The final sentence is incomplete, so it cannot communicate a complete idea. Practise accurate subject–verb agreement and past-tense reporting, and build complete sentences before adding contrast clauses.

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