Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-08-12

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 rendered line chart displays information about the count of jobs in four sectors : manufacturing,retail,agriculture, healthcare of the economy in America from 1960 to 2020

Looking into the given details, starting at 15 in 1960, and increasing dramatically at 20 in 1980 , the number of job of manufacturing of economy was decreased at 13 in 2020. Conversely, a resemblance of 3 could be observed in the count of agriculture job from 1980 to 2020 which was noted by economy in USA.

Probing further, there was only 5 of retail job during 1960, before hitting a crest at 16 in 2020. In contrast, job of healthcare was increased from 1 to 16 from 1960 to 2020 in the United State of America .

Overall, the job of manufacturing was maximum which was noticed in US. However, the minimum number of agriculture job was seen over the given time period.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response covers all four sectors and identifies some key trends, such as the rise in healthcare and the decline in manufacturing. However, the reporting of data is often inaccurate or confusing. For example, stating manufacturing 'increased dramatically at 20 in 1980' when the graph shows a peak earlier is misleading. The description of the agriculture sector as having a 'resemblance of 3' is unclear and fails to describe the trend effectively. While the main features are attempted, the lack of precision in data reporting and the failure to provide a clear, accurate overview of the comparative trends across the entire period limit the score to a Band 5.0.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organised into four paragraphs, which is a standard structure for Task 1. However, the logical progression within paragraphs is weak. The use of cohesive devices is mechanical and sometimes misused, such as 'Looking into the given details' and 'Probing further', which do not flow naturally. Referencing is occasionally unclear, and the connection between sentences is often disjointed. While there is an attempt to group information, the lack of sophisticated linking words and the repetitive sentence structures hinder the overall flow of the response.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary is limited and repetitive, relying heavily on basic terms like 'number of job' and 'increased'. There are frequent errors in collocation and word choice, such as 'hitting a crest' (instead of 'peaking') and 'resemblance of 3' (which is mathematically unclear). The student struggles to use precise terminology to describe trends, such as 'maximum' instead of 'the highest number of jobs'. The range of vocabulary is just sufficient to convey the basic meaning, but it lacks the precision and flexibility required for higher bands.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The response contains a high frequency of grammatical errors, including issues with articles ('the economy in America'), subject-verb agreement ('job of manufacturing... was decreased'), and awkward phrasing ('which was noted by economy in USA'). There is a lack of complex sentence structures, and the simple sentences used often contain errors. Punctuation is also inconsistent, with unnecessary spaces before colons and commas. These errors are frequent and occasionally cause the reader to pause to interpret the intended meaning, which is characteristic of the Band 5 level.

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.