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 graph provided illustrates the data of number of jobs in four sectors of the economy in the us between 1960 and 2020

Overall, manufacturing region exhibited highest number of jobs . Whereas, retails and healthcare industries displayed moderate availability of employments . However, agriculture industries were shown least number of jobs.

The data clearly demonstrated that manufacture factories released highest number of employments among all others. Employments increased progressively at began. and reached 20 million number in 1980. After it saw sharp decline and at the end in 2020 it remained approximately 13 million. On the other hand, retail region showed a rise in offering employments. it started from 5 million jobs and and in 2000 the jobs reached 15 million. Again the employments improved mildly and above to 15 million.

According to the data healthcare industries provided a significant jobs. initially the provided jobs were 3 million. but in upcoming years it improved effectively and reached 15 million . it interact with same number of job offered by retail region.however, agriculture showed a decline initially. it decreased from 5 million and turn to become around 3 million in 1980. the offering jobs then stabalized untill 2000 and after it again decreased slightly at around 2 million in 2020.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The student addresses the task by reporting the main features and trends of the four economic sectors shown in the graph. An overview is attempted in the second paragraph, though it contains some lexical inaccuracies (such as referring to the manufacturing sector as a 'region'). Most key data points are captured, such as manufacturing peaking at 20 million in 1980 and healthcare rising to match retail at 15-16 million by 2020. However, some data references are slightly imprecise or under-developed, and the lack of a proper introduction and weak paraphrasing of the prompt limit the depth of task fulfilment. Overall, the response meets the core requirements of Task 1 by summarizing the visual data effectively, aligning best with a Band 5.5 or 6.0 descriptor.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The response is organized into four distinct paragraphs, attempting an introduction, an overview, and body paragraphs. However, logical progression is frequently hindered by mechanical or faulty cohesive devices and a lack of punctuation and capitalisation throughout the text (e.g., sentences starting with lower-case letters like 'the', 'it', and 'according'). Referencing is sometimes unclear, and transitions between sentences can feel abrupt (e.g., 'Again the employments improved mildly and above to 15 million'). Paragraphing structure is present, but internal cohesion requires better control. These features are characteristic of a Band 5.0 performance.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is adequate for conveying basic trends and figures, employing words such as 'decline', 'stabalized' (spelling error for stabilized), and 'progressively'. However, there is a noticeable lack of precision and awkward word choices, such as using 'region' or 'factories' instead of 'sectors' or 'industries', and repeating the word 'employments' incorrectly as a countable noun. There are also several spelling and typographical errors (e.g., 'retails', 'began' instead of beginning, 'and and'). The lexical range is limited and minimally adequate, fitting the Band 5.0 descriptor.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The text displays a mix of simple and some complex sentence forms, but grammatical control is weak. There are frequent errors in tense consistency, prepositions, articles, and word forms (e.g., 'the graph provided illustrates the data of number', 'jobs then stabalized untill 2000', 'it interact with same number'). Punctuation is largely absent, with missing periods and commas creating run-on constructions or fragmented sentences. While the meaning remains mostly accessible, the high frequency of errors across basic structures limits the score to Band 5.0.

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