Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-13
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 bar chart illustrates the details about nubmer of jobs in four econpmic sectors of the USA over the past 60 years.
Overall, retailing and agriculture department showed the upward trend whereas manufacturing and and healthcare scetor denoted downward trend.
From 1960 to 1980, the manufacturing units depicted a gradual rise with a sudden fall in jobs over next 40 years from 20 miilion to below 15 million. Contrarily, agriculture sectors denoted a gradual decline in recruitment before levelling off and then it again slump retardly to below 5 million. The retailing occupations in USA economy rose dramatically over first 40 years thend it remained almost constant to 15 million. But, on the other hand, agricultural sector contribited the most in economy. They demonstrated an abrubt increase in jobs from approximately 2 million to 15 million.
On a whole, manufacturing sectore had 20 millions of jobs in 1980 which is the greatest however, agriculture sector had lowest numbvber of jobs that are below 5 million in 2020.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The response covers the main features of the graph, identifying trends across the four sectors such as the upward trend in retailing and the downward trajectory in manufacturing. However, there are notable factual contradictions and confusions within the text. For instance, the student states that the 'agriculture sectors denoted a gradual decline' and later claims that the 'agricultural sector contribited the most in economy' with an 'abrubt increase in jobs from approximately 2 million to 15 million,' which conflicts with standard chart data and creates internal contradictions. Furthermore, some comparisons are incomplete or imprecise. Due to these inaccuracies in data reporting and the partial confusion in communicating the key features, this criterion falls into the Band 5.0 range.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0
The response is structured into an introduction, body paragraphs, and an overall concluding summary, demonstrating a basic attempt at paragraphing. However, logical progression is frequently disrupted by contradictory statements and confusing shifts between sectors. Cohesive devices are used awkwardly or inaccurately, such as 'Contrarily', 'thend', and 'On a whole'. Referencing is sometimes unclear, making it difficult to follow which sector is being discussed at various points. These issues with flow, cohesion, and logical sequencing place the response firmly at Band 5.0.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary used is adequate for basic communication, but it features numerous spelling and word choice errors, such as 'nubmer', 'econpmic', 'scetor', 'miilion', 'slump retardly', 'contribited', and 'abrubt'. The writer attempts some less common lexical items like 'gradual rise', 'dramatically', and 'levelled off', but lack of precision and frequent mechanical errors limit the effectiveness. The lexical range is limited and contains noticeable errors that cause some difficulty for the reader, aligning with the Band 5.0 descriptors.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, such as 'From 1960 to 1980, the manufacturing units depicted a gradual rise with a sudden fall...' However, grammatical accuracy is weak, with frequent errors in tense consistency, prepositions, and agreement, including 'the retailing occupations... rose... thend it remained' and 'manufacturing sectore had 20 millions of jobs'. Punctuation and article usage are also flawed in places. Because errors are frequent and occasionally hinder clarity, the response meets the criteria for Band 5.0.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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