Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-17

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 four sector of economy like manufacturing , retail , agriculture and healthcare in the us between 1960 to 2020 .

Overall , their is rapid growth observed in healthcare over the given period . In contrast manufacturing face a rapid decline after the one year od growth . However agriculture reamins the least contrubuting factor among the period and retail jobs has done significant growth and then become constant .

Healthare has least number of jobs compare to all three sectors wich is 3 millions in 1990 and the it shows significant growth and end up in 16 millions jobs in 2020 . On the one hand manufacturing was the demanding sector in its initial years it shows growth of 5 millions jobs in 1960 to 1980 but then facecs rapid decline over the period .

On the other hand retail jobs shows a significant growth it has 6 millions jobs in 1960 and become 15 millions jobs in 2000 and then it remain constant between 2000 to 2020 with slight fluctuation . Wheareas agricultre face slight deline in 1960 agriculture contribute 6 million jobs then it decline upto 4 millions jobs in 1980 and remain least contributive factor over the period .

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The student successfully addresses the main features of the prompt by selecting and reporting data from all four economic sectors (manufacturing, retail, agriculture, and healthcare) over the 1960-2020 period. An overview is attempted in the second paragraph, capturing the rapid growth of healthcare and the relative stability of agriculture. However, there are several data inaccuracies and misreadings compared to the visual reference. For instance, the student states that healthcare had 3 million jobs in 1990 (the graph shows 1960-2020 at 20-year intervals, and healthcare started around 2 million in 1960, reaching 5 million in 1980, 11 million in 2000, and 16 million in 2020). Additionally, manufacturing is described as facing rapid decline after 'one year od growth' instead of peaking around 1980. Despite these inaccuracies and some confusion with dates and figures, all parts of the task are addressed, earning a band 5.0.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The response is organized into four paragraphs, following a standard introduction, overview, and body paragraph structure. However, the logical progression is frequently hindered by poor cohesion and mechanical transitions. Phrases like 'On the one hand', 'On the other hand', and 'Wheareas' are used, but they often fail to contrast appropriate concepts effectively or introduce contradictory elements illogically. Furthermore, referencing is weak, with ambiguous pronouns such as 'it' and 'they' appearing frequently without clear antecedents, making it difficult for the reader to track which sector is being discussed. Paragraphing is present, but internal cohesion requires better linking devices and organizational clarity, fitting the Band 5 descriptor.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The student demonstrates a limited range of vocabulary appropriate for task 1, repeatedly using basic verbs like 'shows', 'is', 'has', and 'become'. There are noticeable spelling and word-form errors throughout the text, such as 'sector' instead of 'sectors', 'od' instead of 'of', 'reamins' instead of 'remains', 'contrubuting' instead of 'contributing', 'Healthare' instead of 'Healthcare', 'wich' instead of 'which', 'facecs' instead of 'faces', and 'agricultre'/'agricultre' instead of 'agriculture'. Some collocation and word choice issues are also apparent, such as 'retail jobs has done significant growth'. These frequent errors and limitations in lexical range cause some difficulty for the reader, aligning the response with Band 5.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, but control over grammar and punctuation is weak. There are frequent grammatical errors, including subject-verb agreement issues ('their is rapid growth', 'manufacturing face'), tense inconsistencies ('manufacturing ... shows growth ... in 1960 to 1980 but then facecs'), missing articles ('in us', 'in healthcare'), and run-on sentences lacking appropriate punctuation or conjunctions (e.g., 'Healthare has least number of jobs compare to all three sectors wich is 3 millions in 1990 and the it shows significant growth and end up in 16 millions jobs in 2020'). These persistent errors frequently cause strain and difficulty for the reader, justifying a band score of 5.0.

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

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