Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-18

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 graphical representation demonstrates the information is releated to the number of jobs in four different sectors of the economy ( Manufacufacturing, Retail, Agriculture and Healthcare) in the USA in the year between 1960 and 2020.

In 1960, the number of jobs were 15 million in the Manufacturing sector and it rose to 5 million in 1980 but it decrease sharply to 13 million in it in 2020. Moreover in the Retail sector, around 6 million people were interested to participate in the year 1960. surprisingly the figure escalated sharply to around 16 million in the following years. Furthermore, In the Agriculture sector 6 millon candidates was interested to do that job in the year 1960. howerver the figure fall sharply to 3.5 million in 1980 and it leveledoff till 2020. Nevertheless, In the Healthcare department almost 2 million people did that job in 1960.Surprisingly the figure rose dramatically from 5 million to 16 million in the following years.

Overall, The manufacturing department was the most popular choice among people. However agriculture department was the least popular choice in the given years.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The student attempts to cover all four sectors across the given time period, providing data points for 1960, 1980, and 2020. However, there are notable inaccuracies and misinterpretations of the visual data. For example, the student states that manufacturing jobs rose to 5 million in 1980 (whereas the graph shows 20 million), and incorrectly calculates the subtraction or reads the scale poorly. Additionally, referring to people being "interested to participate" or "candidates interested to do that job" misunderstands the nature of employment statistics, treating jobs as job-seekers. The overview identifies manufacturing and agriculture as extreme points, but misses the dynamic rise of retail and healthcare. These issues limit the task response to a Band 5.0.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The response is organised into three paragraphs, including an introduction, a body paragraph grouping the data, and a brief concluding overview. However, the progression within the body paragraph is mechanical and disjointed, relying on repetitive transitional phrases such as "Moreover," "Furthermore," and "Nevertheless." Paragraphing is basic, and the cohesion is frequently faulty or mechanical. Referencing is occasionally unclear, such as "it decrease sharply to 13 million in it in 2020," where pronoun confusion hinders smooth reading. Overall arrangement shows some organisation, but the lack of fluid logical progression keeps the score at a Band 5.0.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The student uses a basic and sometimes inaccurate range of vocabulary suitable for the task. Words like "escalated," "dramatically," and "leveled off" show an attempt to use less common vocabulary, but word choice errors are frequent. Phrases like "people were interested to participate" and "candidates was interested to do that job" misuse employment terms in the context of economic job sectors. There are also spelling errors such as "releated" and "Manufacufacturing." Vocabulary control is limited, causing some strain for the reader, placing 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 frequent grammatical errors are present throughout the text. There are subject-verb agreement errors ("the number of jobs were", "candidates was"), tense inconsistencies, and awkward phrasing ("howerver the figure fall sharply"). Punctuation and capitalization are also flawed in places (e.g., lowercase letters after periods or mid-sentence capitals). While simple sentences are generally understandable, attempts at complex or modified structures often result in faulty grammar that requires reader re-interpretation, leading to a band score of 5.0.

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