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 line graph illustrates the number of jobs in four different sectors of the US economy between 1960 and 2020. And the sectors are manufacturing, retail, agriculture, healthcare.
Overall, manufacturing experienced a rise followed by a decline, while retail and healthcare showed overall growth. In contrast, agriculture decreased considerably over the period. Healthcare recorded the most significant increase.
In manufacturing job was on peak from 1960 it will be 15 millions and in 1980 it goes upward at 20 millions. And from 1980 to 2020 in will be decreasing. In retail job in 1960 it will be on 6 millions and goes upto 15 millions rapidly till 2000 but from 2000 to 2020 it will be sighlthy move to upwards to 16 millions.
In agriculture job it will be 6 millions in 1960 but from 1960 to 1980 it decreasing to 3 millions in 1980 and from 1980 to 2000 it will be constant then from 2000 to 2020 in decreasing to 2 millions.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 4.5 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The student successfully identifies the main features and overall trends of the four sectors shown in the line graph, noting that manufacturing peaked and then declined, retail and healthcare grew significantly, and agriculture decreased. An overview is provided, satisfying the core requirements of Task 1. However, the details provided in the body paragraphs contain some inaccuracies and awkward phrasing when reporting specific figures. For example, writing 'In manufacturing job was on peak from 1960 it will be 15 millions' demonstrates a slightly confused reading of the starting point, as manufacturing started at 15 million in 1960 and rose to 20 million in 1980. Despite minor imprecisions in data reporting, the main trends are adequately covered, leading to a Band 6.0.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response is structured into an introduction, an overview, and body paragraphs, providing a logical framework. However, cohesion and referencing are frequently faulty or mechanical. The opening sentence of the second paragraph 'And the sectors are...' breaks natural sentence flow by starting with a conjunction. Within the body paragraphs, repetitive and awkward transitions such as 'in will be decreasing' and 'it will be on 6 millions' weaken the cohesion. Paragraphing is attempted, but the internal logical progression between sentences is often hindered by grammatical awkwardness and repetitive referencing, keeping this criterion at Band 5.5.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary used is generally adequate for the task, with terms like 'manufacturing', 'retail', 'agriculture', 'healthcare', and 'decline' used correctly. However, the range is quite limited, and there is persistent repetition of basic structures ('it will be', 'goes upto'). Less common vocabulary is attempted with noticeable inaccuracy, such as 'sighlthy move to upwards' instead of 'slight upward movement'. Word choice and spelling errors, while they do not completely impede communication, reflect a restricted lexical range that is characteristic of Band 5.0.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 4.5
The response displays a very limited range of grammatical structures. Most sentences rely on simple structures and future/modal confusions ('it will be decreasing', 'it will be on 6 millions', 'in decreasing'), which are inappropriate for describing past data in a graph. There is a complete lack of accurate complex sentence forms, and tense control is poor throughout the body paragraphs, as future forms ('will be') are incorrectly used to describe past and ongoing historical trends up to 2020. These frequent errors cause considerable difficulty for the reader and warrant a Band 4.5.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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