Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-11-02

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)

it is a line chart telling us jobs in millions over time in Year.

There is a contineous decrese in agricultural jobs since 1960 to 2020.

if we talk about health care their is a rapid growth over the time job range starting from appoximatly 2M to more then 15M.

The line of manufacturing shows increase since 1960 to 1980 but then the line is decreasing gradually. from 1960 to 1980 jobs went from 15M to 20M then till 2020 decrease to 14M apporximetly.

the fourth sector Retail has a contineous growth over time, since 1960 to 2020 it grows from 6M to more then 15M.

the most growing sector according to this line chart is health care, having a growth almost 12M jobs.

the least growing sector is Agriculture having a contineous decrease in growth.

if we compare according to this line chart by 2020 health care jobs are about to cut the Retail jobs and are growing more.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the chart’s subject and report several key trends accurately: manufacturing rises to a peak in 1980 before declining, retail grows, and agriculture falls. You also give useful approximate figures, such as manufacturing increasing from 15 million to 20 million and healthcare rising from about 2 million to over 15 million. However, the overview is not clearly separated from the details, and some comparisons are unclear or inaccurate. In particular, healthcare and retail are both about 16 million in 2020, so saying healthcare is “about to cut” retail is speculative; the chart shows them reaching a similar level. Clarify the main endpoint comparison and describe agriculture as the smallest and declining sector rather than as having the “least growth.”

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response follows a generally understandable order, moving through the sectors and then making an overall comparison. Basic linking phrases such as “but then” and “if we compare” help show relationships between ideas. However, the information is presented as one continuous sequence without paragraphing or a clear overview, so the reader has to infer which points are the main features and which are supporting details. Repeated openings such as “the line of” and “the … sector” also make the progression feel list-like. Group the overview separately, then compare related trends—for example, the rising retail and healthcare figures—before discussing the declining agriculture and manufacturing figures.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use relevant chart vocabulary, including “growth,” “decrease,” “jobs,” and “sector,” and the meaning is usually recoverable. However, the range is limited and several choices are inaccurate or awkward, which can make the intended comparison less clear. “The least growing sector” does not describe agriculture well because its figures decline; “the sector with the lowest employment” or “the only sector to fall throughout” would be more precise. Likewise, “cut the Retail jobs” is not an appropriate collocation for reaching a similar level. Spelling errors such as “contineous,” “decrese,” and “apporximetly” are noticeable. Use standard chart expressions such as “rose to,” “fell to,” and “stood at,” and check spelling carefully.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt some longer sentences to describe changes over time, and the reader can generally understand the intended trends. However, the response relies heavily on simple sentence patterns, and frequent errors in sentence construction and grammar reduce accuracy. For example, “There is a contineous decrese … since 1960 to 2020” uses an unsuitable tense and time expression; “their is a rapid growth” has an agreement error; and “from 1960 to 1980 jobs went … then till 2020 decrease” lacks a clear, correctly formed clause. Capitalisation and punctuation are also inconsistent, including the lowercase opening and run-on transitions. Practise past-tense reporting with complete clauses, such as “Agricultural employment fell from 6 million in 1960 to 2 million in 2020.”

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