Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-05

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

Number of jobs in four sectors of the economy in the US, 1960-2020

Student answer (Band 5.0)

In 1960 jobs of manufacturing was 15 millions but with the passege of time manufacturing jobs are increasing and in 1980 jobs was 20 millions.but suddenly in 2000 jobs were decreasing and remain 17 millions and in 2020 jobs are more less than as compared to 2000 and remains 13 millions.

Retails:

Jobs of the retails in 1960 are 7 millions and they increasing continuesly and in 2020 jobs were 16 millions.

Agriculture:

Jobs of agriculture in 1960 was 6 millions with the passege of time jobs were continuesly decreasing in 1980 jobs remains 3 millions after this 2000 jobs were still 3 millions but in 2020 jobs more decrease and remain 2 millions.

Healthcare:

Jobs of healthcare in 1960 were 2 millions but with the passege of time jobs were increasing continuesly and in 1980 jobs were in 5 millions but in 2020 jobs in healthcare was reached 15 millions.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response5.0
Coherence and Cohesion4.5
Lexical Resource5.0
Grammatical Range and Accuracy4.5
Overall5.0

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response covers all four sectors mentioned in the graph, but it fails to provide an overview or identify key trends, which is a requirement for Task 1. The report is essentially a list of data points rather than a summary. While the main features are identified, the lack of an introductory overview and the absence of comparative language (e.g., 'while', 'whereas', 'in contrast') limit the score. The information is presented in a fragmented way, and the lack of a clear structure makes it difficult to follow the overall trends across the 60-year period.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 4.5

The response lacks a cohesive structure. It uses bullet-point-like headings ('Retails:', 'Agriculture:', 'Healthcare:') which is not appropriate for an academic report. There is no paragraphing or logical flow between the sections. Cohesive devices are almost entirely absent; the text relies on repetitive phrases like 'with the passege of time' and 'jobs were' to connect ideas. There is no clear progression of information, and the lack of linking words makes the text feel like a series of disconnected sentences rather than a coherent summary.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary is very limited and repetitive. The student uses the word 'jobs' and 'millions' in almost every sentence, which indicates a lack of lexical variety. There are several spelling errors, such as 'passege' instead of 'passage' and 'continuesly' instead of 'continuously'. The phrasing is often unnatural, such as 'jobs are more less than as compared to'. To improve, the student needs to use a wider range of synonyms for 'increase' and 'decrease' and learn how to integrate data points into more complex, natural-sounding sentences.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 4.5

The grammar is weak, with frequent errors in subject-verb agreement and tense usage. For example, 'jobs of manufacturing was' should be 'the number of manufacturing jobs was', and 'jobs were in 5 millions' is grammatically incorrect. The sentence structures are simple and repetitive, lacking the variety needed for higher bands. There are also issues with punctuation and capitalization. The frequent errors in basic grammar and sentence construction hinder the clarity of the report, making it difficult for the reader to follow the data trends accurately.

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.