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 provides the information about number of jobs in four sectors of the economy in the US, in the period of 60 years, from 1960 to 2020. There are 2 sectors which have fallen a little bit, but the ones which grew, showed a great progress. "Manufacturing" and "Agriculture" got a regress, one from 15 to 13 million jobs, and another one from 6 to 2 million. Also, before falling, "Manufacturing" field has risen from 15 to 20 million jobs, while healthcare rose from 2 to 16 million jobs.
Fourth one, the "Retail" sector has grown from 6 to 16 million, which is a solid move. Based on data given, we can conclude that in the last 60 years 2 sectors of the economy in the US became more famous, which are retail and healthcare, while two other fields in the economy regressed, which are manufacturing and agriculture
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 student attempts to cover all four sectors mentioned in the prompt (Manufacturing, Agriculture, Healthcare, and Retail) over the 1960-2020 period. However, the overview and selection of main features are quite confused and lack clarity. The student mentions that 'two sectors of the economy in the US became more famous, which are retail and healthcare, while two other fields in the economy regressed'. While this provides a general summary, the tracking of trends contains inaccuracies and lacks an overall integrated picture. For instance, stating that Manufacturing 'got a regress' after initially mentioning a rise is somewhat contradictory without clearer chronological structuring. The response meets the minimum length requirement, but the development of data points is limited, earning a band score of 5.5.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0
The response is organised into a brief introductory and concluding structure, but the body lacks effective paragraphing and logical progression. Ideas tend to jump between sectors and time periods without smooth transitions. For example, the transition 'Fourth one, the "Retail" sector has grown...' is rather abrupt. Cohesive devices are minimal and sometimes mechanical ('Also', 'Based on data given'). Referencing is occasionally unclear, such as 'one from 15 to 13 million jobs, and another one from 6 to 2 million', making it hard to track which pronoun refers to which sector instantly. Overall organisation shows some arrangement, but lacks clear overall progression, placing it at a band 5.0.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary used is adequate for a basic summary but relies heavily on informal or imprecise phrasing. Phrases like 'got a regress', 'a solid move', and 'became more famous' are unnatural in an academic context. The student attempts some less common terms like 'regressed' and 'sector', but word choice and collocation errors are noticeable ('Manufacturing field has risen', 'Agriculture got a regress'). Spelling is generally accurate, but the lack of precision and style keeps the lexical range limited. This performance corresponds to a band 5.0.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The student demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, such as 'There are 2 sectors which have fallen a little bit, but the ones which grew, showed a great progress.' However, grammatical accuracy is inconsistent. There are several minor errors, such as missing articles ('provides the information about number of jobs', 'Fourth one, the "Retail" sector'), awkward prepositional usage, and slight punctuation flaws. Complex sentence attempts are occasionally faulty in structure or punctuation. While these errors do not severely impede communication, they are frequent enough to cap the score at a band 5.5.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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