Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-16
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 data about how employment trends of the economy in the United States changed in 60 years between [redacted phone].
Overall, in 1960 manufacturing trend is the highest group among all four which roughly remain same till 2020. In contrast, farming reports to the lowest among all four career throughout the time frame.
Regarding the construction it was the largest group accounting for 15 million by 1960. Which rose up to 20 million in 1980 but showed a gradual decline and reached to 13 million by the end of 2020. While trade and services spiked to its peak in 2020 accounting for 16 million which was once recorded as the lowest in 1960 at 6 million and 2 million respectively.
Turning towards the agriculture field in 1960 its employment was recorded higher than healthcare at 6 million but with time they showed a steady decline in the numbers with passing years and reached to the lowest at 2 million in 2020.
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 makes several notable errors in interpreting the visual data. Firstly, manufacturing did not 'roughly remain same till 2020'—it experienced a clear rise to 20 million in 1980 and then a significant decline to 13 million. Secondly, the student confuses categories, referring to manufacturing as 'construction' and grouping retail and healthcare together as 'trade and services spiked... which was once recorded as the lowest in 1960 at 6 million and 2 million respectively.' Healthcare actually started at 2 million and rose to 16 million, while agriculture started at 6 million and fell to 2 million. These confusions mean parts of the task are addressed inaccurately, limiting the score under Band 5/6 descriptors.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0
The response is divided into logical paragraphs, beginning with an introduction and overview, followed by body paragraphs detailing specific sectors. However, coherence is heavily impacted by confusing referencing and inaccurate data reporting. For instance, the transition 'Regarding the construction it was the largest group' misidentifies the sector and creates confusion. Cohesive devices such as 'While', 'Turning towards', and 'in contrast' are attempted, but referencing between categories and their respective figures is occasionally unclear or incorrect, aligning the response with Band 5.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary used is generally basic and repetitive ('highest group', 'lowest among all four', 'showed a steady decline'). There are also significant lexical inaccuracies, most notably mislabeling 'Manufacturing' as 'construction' and mixing up the terms for economic sectors. While some functional vocabulary like 'gradual decline', 'spiked to its peak', and 'employment trends' is present, the frequent misidentification of the data categories and limited range of precise lexical items keeps the score at Band 5.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, using temporal clauses and relative structures ('how employment trends of the economy... changed', 'which was once recorded as...'). However, there are frequent grammatical errors and awkward phrasings, such as 'illustrates the data about how', 'manufacturing trend is the highest group', and 'reached to 13 million' (unnecessary preposition). Punctuation and sentence boundaries are also occasionally mishandled, such as fragmenting a sentence with a standalone relative clause ('Which rose up to 20 million...'). These errors cause some difficulty for the reader, fitting Band 5.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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