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 graph illustrates the projection about the market cap of four different dominated job sectors in the US economy from 1960 to 2020.

Overall the propertion of 4 diffrent trads contributes a very high economy boost throughout the 8 decade time period . As healthcare and retail shows a drastic incline ,they begains from less than 6 million job opening in 1960 , which goes upto 4 % in the next 20 years . Later both becomes the highest employed sectors in the US job market .

On the other hand , manufcturing dominates the market with 15 million job openings but at a specfic point it marks its highest record in 1980 which was around 20 millions , apprently agriculture came out to be the less prestigious and least open field for their citizens .

In contrast , each and every sector sees incline and decline but Retail and healthcare have most similar records , which was 16 milion in 2020 .

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The student attempts to cover the main trends in the line graph, noting the upward trajectory of healthcare and retail, and the fluctuations in manufacturing and agriculture. However, the response contains several inaccuracies and confusing data points. For instance, the text claims that healthcare and retail 'begains from less than 6 million job opening in 1960 , which goes upto 4 % in the next 20 years', which mixes absolute job numbers with percentages incorrectly. Furthermore, the overall summary statement misinterprets the data by referring to 'market cap' instead of the number of jobs. While the main features are touched upon, the lack of precision and misinterpretation of units prevent the response from achieving a higher band. Overall, the task is addressed only partially, aligning with a Band 5.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The response is divided into an introduction and several body paragraphs, showing an attempt at logical structure. However, the progression of ideas is hampered by frequent errors in paragraphing and disjointed sentences. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'On the other hand' and 'In contrast', but their usage is sometimes mechanically applied or logically mismatched with the data presented. Referencing is occasionally unclear, leaving the reader confused about which data points are being contrasted. Punctuation issues, such as spaces before commas, also detract from the visual flow of the text. Because there is no clear overall progression and referencing is flawed, the organization fits a Band 5 descriptor.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is relatively basic and repetitive, with several noticeable errors that impede clear communication. The student misuses terms, such as 'market cap' in the introduction instead of 'number of jobs' or 'employment figures', and 'propertion of 4 diffrent trads' instead of sectors. Spelling errors are frequent, including 'begains', 'manufcturing', 'specfic', 'apprently', and 'milion'. While there is an attempt to use less common vocabulary like 'prestige' and 'fluctuations' (implied by incline and decline), the lexical control is limited, meaning the performance corresponds to a Band 4.5, rounded to 5.0 based on the presence of some domain-relevant terms like 'healthcare', 'retail', and 'agriculture'.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 4.0

The response displays a very limited range of sentence structures, relying heavily on simple or awkwardly constructed complex sentences. There are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text, including subject-verb agreement issues ('healthcare and retail shows', 'both becomes'), tense inconsistencies ('begains', 'goes upto', 'comes'), and prepositional errors. Punctuation is also problematic, with consistent spacing errors before commas and periods. These frequent errors cause considerable difficulty for the reader and distort meaning in several places, which is characteristic of a Band 4.

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

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