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 given line graph compare the four different category of jobs in American financial departments from 1960 to 2020.

Overall, the retail and agriculture showed upward trend, while manufacturing and health sectors showed downward trend.

to begin with, retailing jobs in United States started to 6 million in initial year, while health care jobs was about 2 million. Then, retails increased gradually to 10 million, Whereas, health sectors went up to 5 million in 1980. After that, retailing increased sharply to 15, Comparingly, health care jobs went up to 11 million in 2000. Moreover, both categories reached to 15 million in 2020.

Following that, Manufacturing at 15million jobs in 1960, which increased dramatically to 20 million in 1980. Then it declined sharply to 15 and 14 millions jobs in 2000 to 2020. In comparison, the agriculture jobs started at 6 million in initial year. It decreased gradually to about 4million in 1980.Then it remained relatively same for the subsequent years.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The student attempts to cover the main features of the line graph, correctly identifying the overall trends such as the upward movement in retail and agriculture and the downward trajectory in manufacturing and healthcare. Key data points are selected, such as retail starting at 6 million and reaching 15 million by 2020. However, there are notable data inaccuracies when reporting specific figures; for instance, the writer states that manufacturing was at 15 million in 1960 and rose to 20 million in 1980, and mentions healthcare reaching 15 million in 2020 alongside retail. These inaccuracies in data interpretation prevent the response from achieving a higher band. Nevertheless, an overview is provided and key comparisons are attempted, satisfying the core requirements at a band 5.5 level.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The response is organized into distinct paragraphs, starting with an introduction and an overall trend summary, followed by body paragraphs detailing the specific sectors. Cohesive devices are employed to link ideas, such as 'Overall', 'to begin with', 'Then', and 'Moreover'. However, some of the cohesive links and transitions are used rather mechanically or inaccurately, such as 'Following that' to introduce manufacturing. Referencing and progression are sometimes disjointed, and punctuation and capitalization errors within sentences occasionally disrupt the flow of information. Overall, the arrangement provides a basic coherent structure, fitting the band 5.0 descriptors.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is generally adequate for the task, featuring economic and descriptive terms such as 'sector', 'trend', 'gradually', and 'sharply'. However, there is a limited and repetitive range of lexical items, with frequent errors in word choice and form, such as writing 'category of jobs' instead of 'sectors' or 'categories', and omitting units of measurement (e.g., writing 'to 15' instead of 'to 15 million'). Additionally, spelling and capitalization errors occur throughout the text, such as 'retailing jobs in United States started to 6 million in initial year'. These errors occasionally impede communication and restrict the score to a band 5.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, using subordinating clauses like 'while manufacturing and health sectors showed downward trend' and 'Whereas, health sectors went up to 5 million'. However, grammatical control is weak, with frequent errors in subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'The given line graph compare', 'health care jobs was'), missing articles (e.g., 'in initial year'), and incorrect prepositions and verb forms. Punctuation is also problematic, featuring awkward capitalization and missing periods or incorrect comma splices. Because these errors occur frequently and can cause some difficulty for the reader, a band 5.0 is appropriate.

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.