Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-02

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)

There is a number of jobs in four sectors of economy in the US. It has been increased or downfall at the years has ended or began.

At the graph we can see the manufacturing jobs are 15 millions at the year of 1960 and the retail jobs are 6 millions otherwise agriculture was also on 6 millions and the Healthcare jobs are less then everything and that was only 2 millions. Then the year of 1980 the manufacturing jobs were increased it has gone in 20 millions and other jobs also increased at the same time without agriculture. Agriculture was decreased day by day on this country. From 2000 to 2020 manufacturing jobs decreased and the other jobs increased like Healthcare and retail jobs increased day by day.

On the graph we can see the jobs of manufacturing and agricultural are decreased day by day otherwise the Healthcare and retail jobs are being increased.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response attempts to address the task but fails to provide a clear overview or highlight the most significant trends. While it mentions the four sectors, the description of the data is inaccurate and lacks precision. For example, stating that healthcare jobs were 'less then everything' is vague, and the claim that manufacturing jobs decreased from 2000 to 2020 is not supported by a clear analysis of the data points. The response lacks a summary of the main features and fails to make meaningful comparisons, which are essential for Task 1. The information is presented in a fragmented way, making it difficult to follow the overall trends in the US economy.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The response is organized into paragraphs, but the progression of ideas is weak. There is a lack of cohesive devices to link sentences and ideas logically. Phrases like 'Then the year of 1980' and 'On the graph we can see' are used repetitively and mechanically. The transition between the description of 1960 and 1980 is abrupt, and the final paragraph merely repeats information already mentioned without adding any synthesis or analytical value. The lack of logical flow makes the response feel disjointed.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary is very limited and repetitive. The student relies on basic terms such as 'jobs', 'increased', and 'decreased' throughout the text. There is a lack of variety in reporting verbs or descriptive adjectives. Errors in word choice, such as 'downfall' instead of 'decline' or 'at the years has ended', indicate a lack of control over academic register. The phrasing is often unnatural, which hinders the clarity of the report. To improve, the student needs to incorporate more precise terminology related to trends and economic sectors.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The response contains frequent grammatical errors that often impede communication. There are issues with subject-verb agreement ('There is a number of jobs'), tense usage ('It has been increased'), and prepositional errors ('at the year of 1960'). The sentence structures are simple and repetitive, with very few attempts at complex sentences. Punctuation is also inconsistent. The errors are frequent and pervasive, making the text difficult to read at times. A greater focus on basic sentence construction and accurate verb tenses is required to reach a higher band.

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