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 given line chart indicate us about the quantity of jobs in US within 1960 to2020

As it seems that agricultural and manufacturing sector jobs level go down in 2020 as compare to 1960 but the only difference was that the manufacturing sector moves to peak in 1980's era but after 1980 its down fall come. Retail and health care sector move upward and reach at same level in 2020 although healthcare sector start from low level as compare to retail sector in 1980.

In conclusion agriculture sector lose its level but the other 2 healthcare and retail sector were at same level and the manufacturing sector face downfall but still in 2020 its level was nearby to the healthcare and retail sector.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response covers the main trends in the four economic sectors between 1960 and 2020, such as the peak and decline in manufacturing and the upward trends in retail and healthcare. However, the summary lacks precision and some data comparisons are missing or inaccurate (e.g., stating healthcare started lower than retail in 1980 when the chart shows it at 5 million compared to retail's 10 million, though the relative positions are correct). More importantly, the response fails the length requirement, containing only 123 words against the minimum 150-word requirement. This penalises the task achievement score, as the reporting remains somewhat undeveloped.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The text is organised into three brief paragraphs, attempting an introduction, body overview, and conclusion. However, the logical progression is weak and cohesion is quite faulty. Phrases like 'As it seems that' and 'its down fall come' create a choppy and mechanical flow. Paragraphing is rudimentary, and cohesive devices are either missing or misused, which makes it harder to follow the comparison between sectors smoothly.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is basic and repetitive, with noticeable errors in word choice and collocations. Examples include 'indicate us about', 'quantity of jobs', 'jobs level go down', and 'its down fall come'. There is very little attempt at less common lexical items, and word forms are sometimes inaccurate (e.g., 'downfall' written as two words 'down fall'). While the meaning is generally understandable, the limited range restricts the score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 4.5

The response demonstrates a very limited range of grammatical structures, relying mostly on simple sentences with frequent errors. There are issues with subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'The given line chart indicate', 'agricultural and manufacturing sector jobs level go down'), missing articles, and awkward phrasing ('healthcare sector start from low level'). Punctuation is also problematic, notably the lack of full stops at the ends of sentences. Errors frequently cause difficulty for the reader.

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

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