Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-08-30

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 lining graph basically, shows information about the number of jobs in four different sectors of economy in the United States from 1960 to 2020.

The lining graph have different axies x-axices and y-axis. x-axis gives information about different years like 1960, 1980 and 2020 and y-axis also show information about percentage like, 0,5,10 and 25 percent people. In 1960, most of the in the field of manufacturing and minimum people in the field healthcare. In 1980, almost 5% people in agriculture and less then 10% people in retail jobs. With the passage of time the have been different influence in different job categories, in 2020 manufacturing almost more then 15%, retail 15%, agriculture more then 10% and health care almost 3%. Overall, this graph gives information about different fields, like manufacturing, agriculture, retail and healthcare of United States and also shows the interest of million people in different fields or sectors of US.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 4.5

The response attempts to address the task but fails to provide a clear overview or accurately report the main features. The description of the data is fragmented and contains significant inaccuracies, such as misinterpreting the units (referring to percentages instead of the number of jobs) and misreading the data points. The summary lacks a cohesive synthesis of the trends, and the information provided is insufficient to give a clear picture of the changes over the 60-year period. To improve, focus on identifying the overall trends (e.g., which sectors grew or declined) rather than listing isolated data points.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The essay lacks a logical structure. It is presented as a single block of text, which hinders readability. While there is a basic attempt to sequence information, the transitions between sentences are mechanical and often repetitive (e.g., 'In 1960...', 'In 1980...', 'In 2020...'). There is a lack of cohesive devices to link ideas effectively, and the paragraphing is non-existent. To improve, you should organize your response into clear paragraphs: an introduction, an overview of the main trends, and two body paragraphs detailing specific data points.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary is limited and repetitive, relying heavily on basic terms like 'information', 'field', and 'different'. There are several errors in word choice and spelling, such as 'lining graph' instead of 'line graph' and 'axies' instead of 'axes'. The range of vocabulary is insufficient to demonstrate precision or flexibility. To reach a higher band, you should incorporate more varied terminology related to data description, such as 'fluctuated', 'remained stable', 'witnessed a decline', or 'peaked'.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The response contains frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede communication. There are issues with subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'The lining graph have', 'y-axis also show'), incorrect pluralization ('x-axices'), and missing articles or prepositions. The sentence structures are predominantly simple, and there is a lack of complex sentence forms. To improve, focus on mastering basic subject-verb agreement and sentence construction before attempting more complex structures. Proofreading for common errors like missing verbs or incorrect plurals will also help improve your score.

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.