Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-15

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 line graph illustrates the number of jobs, in million in four sector of the US economy from 1960 to 2020.

In 1960 Healthcare and Retail decreased and Manufacturing and Agriculture increased. In 2020 Healthcare and Retail increased and Manufacturing and Agriculture declined.

In 1960 Manufacturing was the 15 million jobs followed by the Agriculture 6 million jobs. On the other hand Retail was 6 million jobs and Healthcare was the 3 million jobs.

In 1980 Manufacturing was the 20 million jobs and Agriculture was 3 million jobs. In 1980 Retail was the 10 million jobs and Healthcare was the 5 million jobs.

In 2000 Manufacturing was the 17 million jobs it decreased 20 to 17 million jobs and agriculture was the 3 million jobs than the previous 20 years. In 2000 Retail was the 15 million jobs it increased 10 to 15 million jobs and Healthcare was the 11 million jobs it increased 5 to 11 million jobs than the previous 20 years.

In 2020 Manufacturing was the 13 million jobs it declined 17 million to 13 million job than the previous years and Agriculture was the 2 million jobs it declined than the previous years. In 2020 Retail was the 16 million jobs it increased the previous years and Healthcare was the 16 million jobs it increased than the previous years.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The student attempts to report the main features of the graph, covering all four economic sectors across the given years. However, there are significant factual inaccuracies in data interpretation. For example, the overview sentence is confusing and contradictory, stating that in 1960 Healthcare and Retail decreased while Manufacturing and Agriculture increased. Furthermore, the description of individual data points contains repetitive and rigid phrasing, such as 'Manufacturing was the 15 million jobs'. While the student identifies key trends like the growth of Retail and Healthcare and the decline of Agriculture and Manufacturing, the lack of a proper overview and numerous inaccurate descriptions limit the task achievement to a Band 5.0.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The response lacks a clear logical organisation. The introduction is poorly constructed, and the body paragraphs are structured mechanically by year rather than grouping trends effectively. Each paragraph starts with a repetitive time marker followed by robotic listings of the sectors. There is a total lack of paragraphing cohesion; every sentence stands as its own single-sentence paragraph, which severely disrupts the flow of the text. Cohesive devices are either missing or misused, resulting in a choppy and disjointed reading experience. This performance aligns with a Band 4.5, rounded to Band 5.0 for some logical sequence attempt.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is very basic and repetitive. The student relies heavily on simple words and phrases such as 'increased', 'decreased', 'declined', and 'jobs'. There are awkward lexical choices and phrasing errors, such as 'number of jobs, in million in four sector' and 'Manufacturing was the 15 million jobs'. Attempts to use more advanced vocabulary are absent, and the lexical range is strictly limited to the terms provided in the prompt. Spelling is generally accurate, but word choice and collocation issues restrict the score to a Band 5.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The grammatical range is extremely limited. The student predominantly uses simple sentence structures repetitively, such as '[Sector] was the [number] million jobs'. There are frequent grammatical errors, including missing prepositions, incorrect articles, and poor clause integration (e.g., 'it decreased 20 to 17 million jobs and agriculture was the 3 million jobs than the previous 20 years'). Punctuation is also weak, with missing commas and poorly structured compound sentences. These frequent errors and the lack of complex sentence control warrant a Band 5.0.

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