Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-08-04

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 presented graph illustrates data on the number of jobs in four sectors of the USA's economy in intervals of twenty years, for the years 1960, 1980, 2000, and 2020. In addition, the four sectors are manufacturing, retail, agriculture, and healthcare.

In the year 1960, manufacturing had 15 million jobs, which was also the highest number of jobs created by any sector. Whereas healthcare, on the other hand created less than 5 million jobs, which happened to be the least number of jobs created for the year. Furthermore, retail and agriculture each had contributed over 5 million jobs. However, both projected towards opposite growth directions. On one hand, retail doubled the number of jobs created by 1980, to 10 million. On the other hand, jobs in the agriculture sector have been reduced by half.

Further, the 1980s

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 4.0

The response is significantly under the 150-word minimum requirement, which severely impacts the ability to fully address the task. Because the essay is incomplete and cuts off mid-sentence, it fails to provide a summary of the entire period (up to 2020) or identify all main trends. While the introduction and the description of the 1960 data are accurate, the failure to complete the report means the task is only partially addressed. To improve, you must ensure you cover all data points and provide a clear overview of the trends across the entire timeframe provided in the graph.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The essay shows an attempt at logical organization by grouping information by time periods. However, because the text is incomplete, the overall progression is interrupted. Cohesive devices such as 'In addition', 'Whereas', and 'On the other hand' are used correctly to link ideas, but the abrupt ending prevents a cohesive conclusion or a full development of the argument. Paragraphing is present, but the final paragraph is left unfinished, which disrupts the flow of the response.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate a sufficient range of vocabulary to convey information about the graph, using terms like 'illustrates', 'intervals', 'projected', and 'contributed'. There is some attempt to use varied language to describe trends, such as 'doubled' and 'reduced by half'. However, the limited length of the response restricts the range of vocabulary displayed. To reach a higher band, focus on using more precise academic collocations to describe data trends, such as 'experienced a downward trend' or 'remained relatively stable'.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are some grammatical inaccuracies, such as 'which happened to be the least number of jobs created for the year' (which is slightly wordy and awkward) and 'jobs in the agriculture sector have been reduced' (where 'were reduced' would be more appropriate for past data). Despite these, the meaning remains clear. The incomplete nature of the final sentence makes it impossible to assess your control over more complex grammatical structures fully.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

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