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 compares the number of jobs in four sectors: Manufacturing, Retail, Agriculture and Healthcare in the US between 1960 to 2020.

Overall, manufacturing sector showed the highest growth compared the other three factors. While retail and healthcare sectors were gradually increased throughout the period. In contrast, agriculture sector was steadily declined.

Looking first at manufacturing sector, in 1960 recorded the 15 and then it gradually rose 20 between 1960 to 1980. After that, manufacturing sector gradually fall between 1960 to 2020. On the other hand, retail and healthcare sector were steadily increased the 1960 to 2020. Retail sector gradually climbed to approximately 6 in 1960 to 2000 near 15.

Healthcare sectors started with just 1 in 1960 and after end of the period showed approximately 15. In contrast, Agriculture sector gradually decreased in 1960 to 1980 roughly 6 into 2. After that, showed modest level in 1960 to 2000. After end of the period slightly decreased compared with 2000 nearly 1.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The student attempts to cover all four sectors of the economy between 1960 and 2020, providing an overview and selecting main features for comparison. However, the task achievement is hindered by inaccuracies in reading the data and some vague descriptions. For instance, the student states that the manufacturing sector 'recorded the 15' in 1960 and rose to 20 by 1980, which is accurate, but then claims it 'gradually fall between 1960 to 2020', which contains a time-frame contradiction. Additionally, the healthcare starting point is misread as 'just 1' instead of 2. The overview is somewhat confused, claiming manufacturing showed the highest growth when retail and healthcare experienced much larger proportional and absolute increases over the period. Overall, the response addresses the prompt but contains significant data interpretation flaws, aligning with a band 5.0.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The response is structured into four paragraphs, including a brief introduction and an overview. Logical progression is attempted using transitional phrases such as 'Overall', 'Looking first at', and 'In contrast'. However, the cohesion is frequently mechanical and confusing due to faulty referencing and awkward phrasing (e.g., 'After that, showed modest level in 1960 to 2000'). Paragraphing is present, but internal cohesion within sentences often breaks down, making the relationships between ideas difficult to follow. Pronoun referencing and substitution are poorly handled, which disrupts the flow of the description. This corresponds to a band 5.0 for coherence and cohesion.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The student uses a basic vocabulary range related to economic trends, such as 'increase', 'decrease', and 'sector'. However, there are frequent lexical errors and inappropriate word choices, such as 'gradually fall' (instead of fall or decline), 'healthcare sectors started with just 1' (missing units/millions), and 'modest level'. There are also grammatical-lexical confusions such as 'compared the other three factors' instead of 'sectors'. While the vocabulary is minimally adequate to convey basic trends, the frequency of lexical inaccuracies places this at a band 5.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but control over grammar is weak. There are frequent grammatical errors, missing prepositions, and tense/form issues, such as 'retail and healthcare sectors were gradually increased' (passive instead of active past), 'manufacturing sector in 1960 recorded the 15', and 'Retail sector gradually climbed to approximately 6 in 1960 to 2000 near 15'. Punctuation and sentence boundaries are sometimes problematic, leading to fragmented or run-on expressions that cause difficulty for the reader. These persistent errors across most sentences result in a band 5.0.

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

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