Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-07

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 graph illustrates the influence of four economy services in four decades of US. From 1960 to 2020, Retail and Healthcare jobs playing a major role of economy till 2020.

Jobs of Manufacturing department hits the peak with 20 millions in 1980. While Healthcare jobs gradually increase with difference of half of Retails vacancies. Moreover, Agriculture sector declined throughout in 40 years.

Healthcare jobs crossed Manufacturing sector and reached at the same level of the Retails in 2020. Healthcare sectors produce low ratio of jobs from 1960. However, it gradually increase and beat Manufacturing economy after 2000. Agriculture's jobs reduced and in descending order before 1980. After 1980, the declination of jobs of Manufacturing and Agriculture sector. while, Manufacturing was 3rd most jobs production sector of the chart and not shows massive reduction. Overall, a major rise of Retail jobs was always kept from beginning to end of four decades.

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 accurately report the main trends. The description of the data is often confusing, such as stating that Healthcare jobs 'crossed Manufacturing' and 'reached the same level of Retails' without clear reference to the actual data points. The summary is fragmented, and the chronological progression is difficult to follow. Key features, such as the specific starting and ending points for each sector, are missing or inaccurately described. The response lacks a coherent summary of the overall trends, which is essential for a Task 1 response.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The essay lacks logical organization. While there is an attempt to group information, the progression of ideas is disjointed. Paragraphing is not used effectively to separate the introduction, overview, and body details. Cohesive devices are used mechanically or incorrectly, such as the repetitive use of 'However' and 'Moreover' without clear logical links between sentences. The referencing is often unclear, making it difficult for the reader to follow the comparison between the four sectors over the sixty-year period.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The range of vocabulary is limited and often inaccurate. There are frequent errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'influence of four economy services', 'Manufacturing department', and 'declination of jobs'. The student relies on basic vocabulary and struggles to use precise terminology related to data description (e.g., 'beat Manufacturing economy' instead of 'surpassed the manufacturing sector'). These inaccuracies occasionally impede the reader's understanding of the trends being described.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The response contains frequent grammatical errors that affect clarity. There are issues with subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'Healthcare jobs... gradually increase'), incorrect tense usage (e.g., 'not shows massive reduction'), and awkward sentence structures. The range of structures is limited, consisting mostly of simple or poorly constructed complex sentences. Punctuation is also inconsistent, which further hinders the flow of the text. The errors are frequent and sometimes make it difficult to grasp the intended meaning of the data comparisons.

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