Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-08-05
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 illustrates jobs in four sectors in the economy of US from [redacted phone] in the fields of manufacturing, retail, agriculture and healthcare.
The x-axis indicates the year from 19600 to 2020 whereas y-axis depicts the number of jobs in millions. The healthcare have almost two million jobs in 1960 and then move upwards around five million in 1980 and then touched its peak in 1990. The agriculture and retail initially move beyond five millions and then retails reached at its peak from 2000 to its maximum in 2020 but agriculture had a major fall in 1980 and then maintain its plateau till 2020. the manufacturing sector play a vital role in the economy of the US with start of fifteen million jobs in 1960 and got its peak in 1980 and sudden drop back to almost thirteen million in 2020.
Overall, these four sectors play a vital role in the stability of the economy of the United States of America since 1960 to 2020.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The response covers all four sectors mentioned in the graph and identifies some key trends. However, the analysis is somewhat superficial and lacks a clear overview of the most significant trends. For instance, the description of the manufacturing sector is accurate, but the comparison between sectors is weak. The report would benefit from grouping the sectors by their performance (e.g., those that grew versus those that declined) to provide a more cohesive summary. Additionally, some data points are described vaguely, such as 'touched its peak', without specifying the approximate values, which is essential for a high-scoring Task 1 response.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response is organised into three short paragraphs, which is a standard structure. However, the progression of ideas is somewhat mechanical. The use of cohesive devices is limited and occasionally repetitive (e.g., 'and then' is used frequently to link clauses). The transition between the introduction and the body paragraphs is abrupt, and the final sentence acts more as a summary of the importance of the sectors rather than a synthesis of the data trends. Improving the use of linking words such as 'consequently', 'in contrast', or 'meanwhile' would enhance the flow.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks variety and precision. There is a reliance on basic verbs like 'move', 'reached', and 'play a vital role'. While the student uses some sector-specific terminology (e.g., 'manufacturing', 'healthcare'), the range is limited. There are also minor errors in word choice, such as 'with start of' instead of 'starting with' and 'maintain its plateau', which is not a standard collocation. To improve, the student should incorporate more precise verbs for describing trends, such as 'fluctuated', 'surged', or 'stabilised'.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally hinder readability. Examples include subject-verb agreement issues ('The healthcare have', 'the manufacturing sector play'), incorrect preposition usage ('reached at its peak'), and punctuation errors (missing capital letters at the start of sentences). The use of articles is also inconsistent, such as 'in the economy of US'. While the meaning is generally clear, the frequency of these errors prevents the response from reaching a higher band score. More attention to basic sentence construction and proofreading is required.
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.