Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-14

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 graph illustrates the proportion of jobs in manufacturing,retails, agriculture and healtcare sectors of the economy in the United states from 1960 to 2020.

Overall, it can be seen that all the sectors job was inclined throughout the given period except agriculture sector. Moreover there were two sectors job was reached at peaked in the later years.

To begin with the number of jobs in manufacturing started with 15 million which was the highest in 1960. After 20 years the jobs were increased upto 5 million and then the figure showed dramatically declined till 2020 and stopped at 13 million. Moreover the sector of retail and agriculture were starting with similar aeound 5 million in 1960 followed by 1980 the jobs in retail sector was gradually rose till the next 4 decades and then it slight increased and stopped at 15 million in 2020. Whereas the jobs in agriculture faced major declined over the yeras and had a lowest jobs rate in the US in 2020.

Furthermore, the sector of healtcare jobs began with lowest was around 2 million then it followed upward trend till 2020 and reached at 15 million.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response covers all four sectors shown in the graph and attempts to report the main features and make comparisons. The overview identifies general trends correctly, noting that most sectors experienced an upward trajectory except for agriculture. However, there are significant inaccuracies in reporting the specific data points. For example, the student states that manufacturing started at 15 million in 1960, increased by 5 million after 20 years, and later declined to 13 million, which does not accurately reflect the visual data where manufacturing started around 20 million and experienced a downward trend. Furthermore, confusing the labels of millions and the overall numerical interpretations prevents this from reaching a higher band. Because some information is inaccurate and under-developed, this meets the descriptors for Band 5.0.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The response is structured into an introduction, an overview, and separate body paragraphs for individual sectors, showing some basic organisation. However, the overall progression is hampered by awkward transitions and confusing logic, such as the abrupt shift in the third paragraph. Cohesive devices are used awkwardly or inaccurately, and referencing is occasionally unclear (e.g., 'the sector of retail and agriculture were starting with similar aeound 5 million'). Paragraphing is attempted, but the grouping of ideas lacks clear cohesion. These issues place the response firmly in the Band 5.0 category, as the organisation is visible but heavily flawed.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is limited and repetitive, with noticeable errors that occasionally cause difficulty for the reader. The student attempts less common vocabulary such as 'proportion', 'inclined', 'dramatically declined', and 'upward trend', but many words are used with incorrect collocations or forms, such as 'healtcare' (spelling), 'retails', 'aeound', and 'yeras'. Phrases like 'all the sectors job was inclined' and 'highest jobs rate' display restricted lexical control. While the range is minimally adequate to convey the basic topic of economic sectors and jobs, the frequent errors in word choice and spelling restrict the score to a Band 5.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, but these are frequently faulty. There are persistent grammatical errors throughout the text, including subject-verb agreement issues ('all the sectors job was inclined', 'the jobs in retail sector was gradually rose'), incorrect passive/active formations ('were reached at peaked', 'started with similar'), and missing articles. Punctuation is also sparse and sometimes incorrect. Because attempts at complex structures are consistently inaccurate and frequent errors impede smooth reading comprehension, the grammar aligns with Band 5.0 descriptors.

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