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 graph outlines information about the number of jobs in four sectors of the economy in the US between 1960 and 2020.

overall, manufacturing sector increases jobs in million and then shows decline in trend by following decades to 2020. agriculture sector also shows decrease in trebnd from 1960 (jobs in millions) to 2020.

while, retail sector shows increase in jobs from 1960 with f millions jobs and increases significantly to 16 millions in 2020. healthcare sector also shows increses in trend in 1960 with 2.4 millions to 16 millions in 2020.

retail and healthcare sectors has incrsease in trend from 1960 to 2020 and reaches the same point in 2020, while healthcare has got more success as it was in decline then retail in 1960. both manufacturing and agriculture was high in the beginning and finally shows down in trend from 1960 to 2020 . as retail and agriculture sector was same point in the beginning , but retail sector increases with time but agriculture sector decreases.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The student covers all four economic sectors shown in the graph and attempts to report main features and comparisons, such as noting that retail and healthcare increased while manufacturing and agriculture declined. However, the response lacks precision in reporting data, using vague phrases like 'f millions jobs' and omitting accurate figures for most of the timeline. Key trends are identified, but the lack of specific data points and undeveloped comparisons prevent the response from achieving a higher band. Overall, the task is addressed partially, aligning with the Band 5 descriptor.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The text is organised into an introduction and several body paragraphs, but the paragraphing lacks logical structure, with sentences grouped somewhat haphazardly. Cohesive devices are minimal, repetitive, and occasionally inaccurate, such as the overuse of 'while' and 'shows increses in trend'. Progression is difficult to follow because relationships between ideas are not clearly marked, and referencing is frequently unclear (e.g., 'as retail and agriculture sector was same point in the beginning'). This level of organization reflects the characteristics of Band 5.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is basic and repetitive, relying heavily on terms provided in the prompt such as 'jobs', 'sector', 'economy', 'US', and 'increase'. There are noticeable spelling and word-choice errors, including 'trebnd', 'increses', 'incrsease', and awkward phrasing like 'got more success'. The range of vocabulary is limited and minimally adequate for conveying simple ideas about the graph, though these errors and the lack of precision occasionally cause difficulty for the reader, placing it firmly at Band 5.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The writer attempts some complex sentence structures, but these are frequently faulty, such as in the sentence 'retail and healthcare sectors has incrsease in trend from 1960 to 2020 and reaches the same point in 2020'. There are frequent grammatical errors, including subject-verb agreement issues ('sectors has', 'manufacturing and agriculture was') and missing capitalization or punctuation at the beginning of sentences. A limited range of structures is controlled, with frequent errors causing difficulty, which corresponds to Band 5.

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

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