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)

This line graph illustrate the number of jobs in different fields like manufacturing, retail, agriculture and health care relatively from year 1960 to 2020.

Starting, in 1960 manufacturing jobs around 15 million and rapidly increase to 20 million jobs in 1980. whereas it gradually decrease to 17 millions in 2000 and after that decline to 13 million in 2020.

Starting, in 1960 retail jobs around 6 million and rapidly increase to 10 million jobs in 1980 and 15 million in 2000 and after that slowly assend to 16 million jobs in 2020.

Starting, in 1960 agriculture jobs around 6 million and rapidly decrease to 3 million jobs in 1980. however, it remains constant in 2000 and after that decline to 2 million in 2020.

Starting, in 1960 healthcare jobs around 2 million and quickly increase to 5 million jobs in 1980. whereas it rapidly to 11 millions in 2000 and after that it goes to 16 million in 2020.

In conclusion, manufacturing jobs are highest in 1980 where as lowest job opportunities are in agriculture in 2020.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response covers all four sectors (manufacturing, retail, agriculture, and healthcare) and reports key trends and figures between 1960 and 2020, such as manufacturing peaking in 1980 at around 20 million and declining thereafter. An overview is present in the concluding sentence, pointing out the highest and lowest points. However, the report lacks a clear overall trend summary paragraph near the beginning, which prevents it from achieving a higher band. Data points are generally reported accurately, though some mechanical reporting of each decade limits the depth of comparison. Based on the criteria, this performance aligns closely with a Band 6.0, as all parts of the task are addressed, but the development and overall overview structure are somewhat basic.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The report has a coherent overall arrangement, following a systematic paragraph-by-paragraph breakdown of each economic sector. However, the cohesion is highly repetitive and mechanical. Every single body paragraph begins with the identical formulaic phrase 'Starting, in 1960...' which shows a very limited and repetitive use of cohesive devices and referencing. Paragraphing is attempted, with each sector given its own paragraph, but the lack of varied transitional markers and the absence of a proper introductory overview paragraph detract from the logical flow. There are also abrupt shifts between sentences without smooth connectors. These issues place the response firmly at Band 5.0 for coherence and cohesion.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully incorporating terms related to economic sectors ('manufacturing', 'retail', 'agriculture', 'healthcare') and trend verbs ('increase', 'decrease', 'decline', 'remain constant'). However, there are noticeable lexical inaccuracies and awkward word choices, such as 'assend' (instead of 'ascend' or 'rise') and missing verbs in clauses like 'manufacturing jobs around 15 million' (omitting 'were'). While the vocabulary is sufficient to convey the basic message, spelling and word formation errors restrict the score. This performance meets the descriptors for Band 5.0, where vocabulary is limited but minimally adequate, though errors cause some distraction.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, but control over grammar is weak. There are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text, particularly missing verbs and poor clause structures (e.g., 'This line graph illustrate', 'manufacturing jobs around 15 million and rapidly increase', 'whereas it rapidly to 11 millions'). Subject-verb agreement errors ('graph illustrate') and tense inconsistencies also occur. Complex structures are often attempted but are faulty. Because the errors are frequent and occasionally cause difficulty for the reader—requiring extra effort to parse the intended meaning—the grammar score reflects a Band 5.0.

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