Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-08-29

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 illustrate the four job sectors including manufacturing, retail, agriculture and healthcare in the U.S from 1960 to 2020.

Overall, Manufaturing job fluctuated, reaching a peak at 1980 and then keep decling after that however Manufacturing and Healthcare sectors keep rising from their starting point and having a peak in 2020. However agriculture is a sector who keep struggling face huge decling in every decade. that is very shocking for the their economy as well and have to more focus on this sector.

In the Summary i conclude with this idea after viewing the graph that overally Manufacturing having a good progress from 1960 to 1980 and then keep declining, however retail and agriculture keep perform better and increased gradually. in contrast healthcare sector fails to do any progress and keep declining after 3 decades.

In my opnion government should focus on Healthcare sector and invest more in this sector for people health and safety.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 4.0

The response fails to accurately report the data presented in the graph. There are significant factual errors, such as claiming the healthcare sector declined when the graph likely shows growth, and contradictory statements regarding manufacturing. The response also includes personal opinions ('In my opnion government should focus...'), which is inappropriate for an Academic Task 1 report. The summary is inaccurate and does not provide a clear overview of the main trends. To improve, focus on objective data description rather than personal commentary and ensure that the trends described match the visual evidence provided in the prompt.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The essay is divided into paragraphs, but the logical progression is weak. The use of cohesive devices is often mechanical or misused, such as the repetitive use of 'however' and 'keep'. The transition between the overview and the body paragraphs is disjointed. The summary paragraph is redundant and does not effectively synthesize the information. Improving the use of linking words and ensuring each paragraph has a clear, distinct focus would help the reader follow the argument more effectively.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary is limited and repetitive, relying heavily on basic verbs like 'keep' and 'doing'. There are several spelling errors, such as 'Manufaturing', 'opnion', and 'overally'. The range of vocabulary is insufficient to describe trends precisely (e.g., using 'doing progress' instead of 'making progress'). To reach a higher band, you should incorporate more precise terminology for describing graphs, such as 'fluctuated', 'peaked', 'declined', and 'remained stable', while ensuring accurate spelling and word choice.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The response contains frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. Issues include subject-verb agreement ('The Graph illustrate'), incorrect verb tenses, and awkward sentence structures ('agriculture is a sector who keep struggling face huge decling'). There is a lack of complex sentence structures, and the punctuation is inconsistent. To improve, focus on basic sentence construction, ensuring that subjects and verbs agree and that tenses are used consistently when describing past data. Proofreading for basic errors will also significantly improve the quality of the writing.

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

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