Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

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

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 line graph illustrates the changes in the number of jobs in four sectors of the economy in the US over a 60-year period from 1960 to 2020.

Overall, it is clear that healthcare and retail experienced a dramatic upward trend, whereas agriculture saw a steady decline over the period shown. Additionally, manufacturing remained the highest overall throughout most of the timeframe.

Over the next 20 years, manufacturing jobs rose sharply to reach a peak of 20 million jobs of the US economy in 1960 to 1980. In contrast, the number for agriculture dropping to 2 millions of jobs in 2020.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 4.0

The response fails to meet the minimum word count requirement of 150 words, which significantly impacts the score. Because the response is only 101 words, the information is severely under-developed. While you have identified the main trends, you have not provided sufficient detail or data points to fully cover the task. For instance, the description of the sectors is incomplete, and the analysis of the data is too brief to provide a comprehensive summary. To improve, you must ensure you reach the word count by providing more detailed comparisons and including more specific data points from the graph.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The essay is organised into an introduction, an overview, and a body paragraph, which provides a basic structure. However, the progression of ideas is hindered by the lack of content. The use of cohesive devices like 'Overall', 'Additionally', and 'In contrast' is appropriate and helps to link the sentences logically. However, because the response is so short, the overall flow feels abrupt. To improve, ensure that each paragraph is fully developed with supporting details, which will naturally allow for more sophisticated use of linking words and better logical progression.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is generally accurate and appropriate for the task, such as 'dramatic upward trend', 'steady decline', and 'remained the highest'. However, the range is limited due to the brevity of the text. There are some minor errors in word form and collocation, such as 'the number for agriculture dropping to 2 millions of jobs', where 'millions' should be singular. To achieve a higher band, you should aim to use a wider range of vocabulary to describe trends and fluctuations, and ensure that pluralisation and collocations are handled with greater precision.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. However, there are several grammatical errors that affect the clarity of the writing. For example, 'manufacturing jobs rose sharply to reach a peak of 20 million jobs of the US economy in 1960 to 1980' is confusing and contains awkward phrasing. Additionally, 'the number for agriculture dropping to 2 millions of jobs' is a sentence fragment. To improve, focus on ensuring that every sentence has a clear subject and verb, and work on using more varied complex structures while maintaining accuracy.

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.