Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-12

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 shows the number of occupations in the four sectors of the US economy from 10960 to 2020.

Overall, the manufacturing sector recorded the highest economy sector and then declined over the years. In contrast, the healthcare sector recorded the lowest economy sector and then rose steadily over the years.

Firstly, the manufacturing accounted for the largest economy sector with 20 million jobs in 1980 and declined from 1990 to 2020. The retail sector had 5 million jobs in 1960 and increased throughout the years from 1980 to 2020.

Finally, the healthcare sector had around 3 millions jobs in 1960 and exceeded from 3 million to approximately 16 million jobs in 2020 in economy sector. The agriculture sector had around 5 million jobs in 1960 and flunctuated over the years between 1980 and 2020.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The student attempts to summarise the graph by mentioning some trends across the four sectors, such as manufacturing declining and healthcare rising. However, there are significant factual inaccuracies in the data reported, such as stating manufacturing was at 20 million jobs in 1980 (the start date is 1960) and writing a nonsensical year like 10960 in the opening sentence. Furthermore, the response fails to meet the minimum length requirement of 150 words, containing only 135 words. Consequently, the task is only partially addressed, leading to a band score of 5.0.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The text is organized into distinct paragraphs, starting with an introduction followed by an overview and body paragraphs. However, overall progression is hindered by poor referencing and mechanical transitions like 'Firstly' and 'Finally'. Cohesive devices are sometimes inaccurate or misused, such as 'exceeded from 3 million to approximately 16 million jobs'. Paragraphing is attempted, but the logical flow between ideas is frequently disrupted by awkward phrasing and inaccurate data reporting. These issues place the response firmly in the band 5 range for this criterion.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is repetitive and basic, relying heavily on words like 'sector', 'jobs', and 'years'. There are also noticeable lexical errors and awkward word choices, such as calling sectors an 'economy sector' and misspelling 'fluctuated' as 'flunctuated'. The range is limited and minimally adequate for the task, causing some difficulty for the reader due to unnatural collocations and imprecise terminology. This corresponds to a band 5.0 for lexical resource.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but many contain grammatical errors and awkward phrasing, such as 'The line shows' (missing the noun 'graph' or 'chart') and 'the manufacturing accounted for' (missing a noun). There are also issues with prepositions and verb forms, such as 'flunctuated over the years between 1980 and 2020'. While some sentences are understandable, frequent errors in grammar and mechanics cause reader difficulty, supporting a band score of 5.0.

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

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