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 jobs availability in four different sectors of economy in the US within 1960 to 2020.
Overall, It was shown from the chart, jobs in manufacturing sector was in highest demand, whereas fewest people interested in agriculture work. However, jobs in retail and healthcare shows massive popularity throughout the whole period.
In the manufacturing over 15 millions jobs availability observed in 1960 followed by 20 millions in 1980. However, these jobs went down steadily till 2020 reaching around 13 millions. On other hand retail and agriculture job were 2 millions and 6 millions respectively. Regardless of how, rapid jump observed and huge surge identify in these to sector which were reaching around 16 millions till 2020.
Moreover, in the healthcare sector 6 millions jobs were accessible in 1960 which was dramatically decrease from 1960 to 1980 and reaching to around 4 millions and remain stable till 2020.
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 four economic sectors over the 60-year period, providing an overview and some specific data points. However, there are significant factual inaccuracies in the data reporting. For instance, the student states that healthcare jobs decreased from 1960 to 1980 and reached around 4 million, whereas the graph clearly shows an increase from 2 million in 1960 to 5 million in 1980. Similarly, the data mixing between retail and agriculture in the third paragraph is confusing and inaccurate ('retail and agriculture job were 2 millions and 6 millions respectively'). These data misreadings prevent the response from fully and accurately reporting the main features, placing it in the Band 5.0 range.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0
The response is divided into logical paragraphs with an introduction, an overview, and body paragraphs detailing the trends. Cohesive devices and transition words are attempted, such as 'Overall', 'However', and 'Moreover'. However, some cohesive links are used incorrectly or mechanically, as seen in the phrase 'Regardless of how, rapid jump observed'. Referencing is also occasionally unclear, such as in the final paragraph where it is difficult to follow which sector the figures are truly describing due to conflicting data. Paragraphing is present, but overall progression is hindered by confusing transitions and inaccurate data interpretation, corresponding to a Band 5.0.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The student attempts a range of vocabulary relevant to the visual data, including words like 'availability', 'sector', 'popularity', and 'surge'. However, there are frequent word choice and collocation errors, such as 'jobs availability' instead of 'job availability', 'fewest people interested in agriculture work', and 'jobs in manufacturing sector was in highest demand'. Word formation errors also occur, such as 'identify' instead of 'identified' and 'millions' used as an adjective ('15 millions jobs'). The vocabulary is adequate for basic communication but contains noticeable errors, fitting the Band 5.0 criteria.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The response shows an attempt at a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, including introductory subordinate clauses ('Regardless of how...'). However, grammatical accuracy is weak with frequent errors throughout the text. Examples include subject-verb agreement issues ('jobs in manufacturing sector was', 'retail and agriculture job were'), missing prepositions ('In the manufacturing over...'), and incorrect verb forms ('were reaching', 'was dramatically decrease'). These frequent errors can cause difficulty for the reader and impede smooth comprehension, placing this criterion at Band 5.0.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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