Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-28

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 underneath gives the information about the number of jobs in four sectors of the economy in the US between 1960 and 2020.

The graph illustrates number of jobs in four sectors of the economy in the US, [redacted phone].

The graph shows two axes that's x-axis and y-axis.Firstly, x-axis reveal the years and y-axis shows the jobs in millions.In the 1960 to 1980 the jobs in millons manufacturing, retail and healthcare are rise in the percentage of 15-20, 5-10 and 3-5% respectively and the agriculture is decrease the 6-4%.n the 1980 to 2000 the jobs in millions for manfacturing will go down upto 20-17% additionally, the retail and heathcare will go up 10-15% and 5-12% and the agriculture is same in the year between 1980 and 2000.In the 2000 to 2020 the assembling presents the job in millions is reduce to 17% to 13%.In addition, the reatail and healthcare is grow to 15-16% and 12-16% and the last is agriculture is light decline in the year between 2000 to 2020.

They make comparisons the number of jobs in millions of the economy is the US, [redacted phone]. The percentage of retail and healthcare is higher than manuacturing and agriculture.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify the four sectors and describe several broad movements, including manufacturing rising before declining, retail and healthcare increasing, and agriculture falling. However, the response only partially reports the main features: it lacks a clear overview of the overall pattern and gives some inaccurate figures, such as healthcare reaching “12” in 2000 rather than about 11, and agriculture falling from 6 to “4” by 1980 rather than about 3. The final comparison that retail and healthcare are higher than manufacturing is not true across the period; manufacturing leads for much of it, while retail and healthcare reach about 16 million by 2020. Add a concise overview and select accurate comparisons to make the report more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

There is some organisation: the response moves through three time periods and uses sequencing phrases such as “Firstly,” “In the 1980 to 2000,” and “In the 2000 to 2020.” This gives the reader a basic chronological structure. However, the opening repeats the task description, and the final comparison is not clearly connected to the preceding account. Several long sentences combine multiple sectors and trends, making the progression difficult to follow; for example, the 1980–2000 sentence contains four separate changes. Use distinct paragraphs for an overview and the detailed comparisons, and group related trends into shorter sentences. More precise linking and reference would reduce the repetitive, list-like effect.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use relevant topic vocabulary, including “manufacturing,” “agriculture,” “jobs in millions,” and “decline,” so the subject is generally understandable. However, the range is limited and several word choices or forms are inaccurate or repetitive: “the assembling” is used for manufacturing, “the percentage” is used for job numbers, and “light decline” is not a natural description. There are also noticeable spelling errors such as “millons,” “manfacturing,” “reatail,” and “manuacturing,” which reduce clarity. Aim for accurate, varied trend language and use “number” or “figure” rather than “percentage” when describing jobs. Proofreading sector names and choosing natural collocations would make the report more precise.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response attempts to describe changes across several periods, but its grammatical range is limited and errors occur frequently, sometimes making relationships between ideas unclear. For example, “the jobs … are rise” has an incorrect verb form, while “the agriculture is decrease” and “the assembling presents the job … is reduce” contain faulty sentence structures. Agreement and articles are also inconsistent, as in “the retail and healthcare is grow.” Punctuation and spacing need attention, particularly in “y-axis.Firstly” and the run-on sentences that combine several trends. Practise clear comparative sentence patterns, such as “Manufacturing rose from 15 million to 20 million,” and check verb tense, agreement, and sentence boundaries.

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.