Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-19

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 illustrates the number of people enrolled in different four job (in million) of the US economy from 1960 to 2020.

Overall, Healthcare and Retail sectors saw large, contunious increase in employment. Additionaly, in the manufacturing and agriculture staffs was decreased over the period.

Initally, in 1960, Retail sector accounted from 6 million near but moving decades the number of staffs was significantly increase around 16million in 2020. Similarly, Healthcare data also seem same as retail, where in 1960 healthcare jobs around 3million due to rapid population people choose healthcare sector then it suddently increase upto 16million in 2020.

Turining to other sectors, Manufacturing leading top in 1960 with 15 million jobs where in 1980 it touch the highest pick 20 million then other sector but over the time manufacturing gradualy decrease 13 million in the final years. Moreover, in 1960, agriculture sector was 5 million job subsequently, it slightly decrease 2 million in 2020 era.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The student covers all four sectors shown in the graph and attempts to make comparisons over the period from 1960 to 2020. An overview is provided in the second paragraph, noting the upward trends in Healthcare and Retail alongside the downward trends in manufacturing and agriculture. However, there are numerous inaccurate figures and misreadings of the data. For instance, the student states that manufacturing was at 15 million in 1960 and peaked at 20 million in 1980, which is generally accurate, but claims agriculture started at 5 million and dropped to 2 million (the chart shows 6 million and 3 million in 1960/1980, and 2 million in 2020). Furthermore, the phrasing regarding initial values and timelines is frequently confused, making it difficult to follow specific data points accurately. This corresponds to a Band 5.0.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The response is structured into an introduction, an overview, and separate body paragraphs detailing the specific sectors. Paragraphing is attempted, and transition markers like 'Overall', 'Additionally', 'Initially', and 'Turning to other sectors' are used to signal the flow of information. However, the logical progression within sentences is frequently disrupted by awkward referencing and mechanical cohesive devices. For example, sentences such as 'Similarly, Healthcare data also seem same as retail, where in 1960 healthcare jobs around 3million due to rapid population people choose healthcare sector then it suddently increase upto 16million in 2020' string too many clauses together without clear boundaries or accurate conjunctions. These organizational flaws place the response firmly in Band 5.0.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is basic and repetitive, frequently impeded by word-formation errors and spelling mistakes. Examples of inadequate lexical control include 'contunious', 'Additionaly', 'Initally', 'gradualy', and 'suddently'. The student relies on rudimentary verbs such as 'increase', 'decrease', and 'seem same', and struggles with collocations like 'number of staffs' instead of 'number of jobs' or 'employment levels'. Less common lexical items are attempted but result in unnatural phrasing or direct mistranslations of data trends. This level of lexical control matches the Band 5.0 descriptors.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but these attempts are frequently faulty and fraught with grammatical errors. There are frequent issues with subject-verb agreement ('manufacturing and agriculture staffs was decreased', 'Retail sector accounted from 6 million near'), missing prepositions, and run-on sentences lacking proper punctuation. Punctuation is weak, leading to sentences that require multiple readings to parse. While the general message can be understood, the high density of grammatical errors across most sentences limits the response to Band 5.0.

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