Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

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

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 chart illustrates the number of jobs in four different economic sectors in the United States from 1960 to 2020. Overall, While the job numbers in manufacturing and agriculture decreased over the 60-year period, its number experienced a dramatic rose in retail and healthcare sectors. Although the manufacturing jobs was the highest in the beginning of the period, this trend changed in the following years.

The jobs number in manufacturing was the highest from 1960 to around 2000. There was 15 million of jobs in that sectore before rapidly rose to 20 million in 1980, and then fell significantly to about 14 million in 2020, becoming the third highest after retail and agriculture. A similar change was observed in job numbers of agriculture, were it number just over 5 million in 1960, before experiencing a graduall drop to about 2 million in 1980, and remained around this number until 2020, repersenting the lowest number of jobs by the end of the period.

By contrast, the was a significant increased in jobs availabilities in retail and healthcare over the timeframe. in 1960, was about 6 million jobs in retail before witnessing a steady increased tp about 15 million

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response covers the main features of the graph, identifying the trends in the four sectors. However, the response is incomplete, as it cuts off mid-sentence in the final paragraph, failing to describe the healthcare sector or provide a full summary of the data. While the overview identifies the general trends, the lack of completion significantly impacts the ability to fully address all parts of the task. The data points mentioned are generally accurate, but the omission of the final data set prevents a higher score.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The essay is organized into paragraphs, and there is an attempt to use cohesive devices such as 'Although', 'By contrast', and 'in the following years'. However, the flow is disrupted by the incomplete nature of the final paragraph. Referencing is sometimes unclear, such as the use of 'its number' in the introduction, which lacks a clear antecedent. The logical progression is hindered by the abrupt ending, which leaves the reader without a concluding summary or a complete description of the final sector.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, using terms like 'economic sectors', 'dramatic', 'significant', and 'witnessing'. However, there are several errors in word form and spelling, such as 'dramatic rose' (instead of 'rise'), 'graduall' (gradual), 'repersenting' (representing), and 'increased' used as a noun (instead of 'increase'). These errors are frequent enough to be noticeable, though they do not completely impede communication. A wider range of precise vocabulary would be needed for a higher band.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors throughout. Examples include subject-verb agreement issues ('manufacturing jobs was', 'were it number'), incorrect article usage, and awkward phrasing ('There was 15 million of jobs'). The sentence structure is often repetitive and lacks the control required for higher bands. While the meaning is usually clear, the frequency of errors in basic grammar and punctuation is a limiting factor.

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