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 line graph illustrates the percentage of the jobs in different sectors from 1960 and 2020 like manufacturing,retail, agriculture and healthcare.
The job sectors in the graph had peak increasing in the sector of the manufacturing,while remaining agricultural and retail has the highest jobs to the end.
The health care sector had the peak employment in the initial before declining to the level of 13 millions in the 202 year .And the agricultural is also had the lower rate of jobs to the end Even though it had less 2.5 millions in starting stage .
In contrast,the health care sector had the highest jobs economy to the end was about 16 millions of job while is was only at the level of 2.5 millions in 1960 , while the manufacturing sector also stayed with health care sector at the end Even though it was at the 6 millions at the starting stage .
To conclude ,the retail and healthcare sectors were gradually increasing equally ,While the manufacturing and agriculture facing peak decline in their job sectors.
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 response attempts to cover the main trends in the chart, noting the general trajectories of manufacturing, retail, agriculture, and healthcare between 1960 and 2020. However, the student misinterprets several data points and figures. For instance, the text claims healthcare reached 13 million in '202 year' and mentions incorrect starting and ending figures for various sectors, often confusing the units and specific values (e.g., stating healthcare was at 2.5 million in 1960 when it was closer to 2 million, and confusing healthcare and retail descriptions at the end). Furthermore, the opening sentence incorrectly refers to 'percentage of the jobs' instead of absolute numbers in millions. The overview and details are consequently somewhat confused and inaccurate. This performance aligns with Band 5.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0
The response attempts a paragraph structure with an introduction, body paragraphs, and a concluding sentence. However, the progression of ideas is frequently obscured by confusing referencing and contradictory statements (e.g., shifting abruptly between sectors without clear logical links). Cohesive devices such as 'In contrast' and 'To conclude' are used, but overall referencing is unclear and mechanical. Paragraphing is attempted, but sentences within paragraphs lack a coherent flow, making the relationships between the data points difficult to follow. This demonstrates features of Band 5.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary used is repetitive and basic, with frequent lexical inaccuracies and awkward phrasing such as 'peak increasing', 'highest jobs to the end', and 'jobs economy'. The student attempts less common items like 'manufacturing', 'agriculture', and 'healthcare', but struggles with word choice, collocation, and accurate reporting of data terminology (e.g., using 'percentage of the jobs' instead of 'number of jobs'). Spelling and word formation errors also occur, such as '202 year' and 'agricultural is also had'. This fits the Band 5 descriptor profile.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The student uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but attempts at complex sentences are frequently faulty and ungrammatical, such as 'The agricultural is also had the lower rate of jobs to the end Even though it had less 2.5 millions in starting stage .' Grammatical errors are frequent throughout the response, including tense confusion, incorrect preposition use, missing articles, and awkward clause connections (e.g., 'while is was only at the level'). These errors occasionally cause difficulty for the reader and prevent the text from achieving a higher band score. This performance corresponds to Band 5.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.