Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-08-19

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 given line graph illustrates the four different sectors of jobs that are contributing to the economy in millions in the US with in a 60-year period between 1960 to 2020.

Overall, the graph shows significant differences between each sector. The manufacturing and agriculture sectors experienced an initial rise and subsequent fall in 2020 while the other two sectors shown an improvement by 2020 which are low initially.

In terms of manufacturing, which accounted for highest economy in 1960 with 15 million jobs which in turn rose to 20 million by 1980. But in latter years, the jobs are dropped drastically by reaching between 10 and 15 millions at the end. Whereas, agriculture was started with above 5 million jobs latter fail to rise and had decreased to half in 2020 compared to 1960.

However, the retail and healthcare sectors contributed in

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 4.5

The response fails to complete the task as it is incomplete, ending abruptly mid-sentence. Because the final section regarding retail and healthcare is missing, the overview and data reporting are significantly underdeveloped. While you identified the main trends for manufacturing and agriculture, the lack of completion means you have not addressed all parts of the prompt. Furthermore, the response is under the 150-word minimum, which negatively impacts the score. To improve, ensure you provide a full analysis of all data points and complete your sentences to provide a coherent summary of the entire graph.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The essay shows a basic attempt at organization with an introduction, an overview, and body paragraphs. However, the abrupt ending severely disrupts the logical flow and coherence of the response. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'Overall' and 'In terms of', but they are somewhat mechanical. The progression of ideas is hindered by the incomplete nature of the final paragraph, making it difficult to follow the intended comparison between the sectors. To reach a higher band, ensure that each paragraph is fully developed and that the conclusion or final analysis is clearly stated.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You have a sufficient range of vocabulary to describe trends, such as 'significant differences', 'experienced an initial rise', and 'dropped drastically'. However, there are errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'accounted for highest economy' (should be 'accounted for the highest number of jobs') and 'latter fail to rise' (should be 'later failed to rise'). These errors occasionally impede the clarity of your points. To improve, focus on using more precise terminology for data description and ensure your collocations are natural.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors. Examples include 'with in a 60-year period' (should be 'within'), 'other two sectors shown an improvement' (should be 'showed'), and 'agriculture was started' (should be 'agriculture started'). These errors, combined with the incomplete sentence at the end, demonstrate a lack of control over complex structures. To improve, focus on subject-verb agreement and consistent tense usage, as you are describing past data.

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

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