Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

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

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 changes in the employment of the United States across four distinct economy sectors from 1960 to 2020.

Overall, the figure for the manufacturing job is the highest followed by the slight decline over the period. Despite this, an agriculture sector accounted for the steady fall and almost levelled off, while the retail and healthcare centers were constantly rose by the end of period.

Looking at the graph in detail, the manufacturing sector is on peak in 1960 almost at 15 million with dramatic rise up to 20 million in 1980, and steady fall is observed in 2000 and 2020 approximately 16 million and 14 million. In contrast, the figures for the retail and the healthcare sectors are following almost constant trend along with the slight variation at the beginning in 1960.

Although the healthcare is contributed less in the overall economy of US from all the other three sectors, it had constituted almost 4 million in 1960, dropping to healthcare around 3 million in 1980, and remained constant across the end of period.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The student attempts to cover all four sectors across the period, providing an overview and some specific data points. However, the response contains several factual inaccuracies when compared to the visual data. For instance, the student states that the agriculture sector 'accounted for the steady fall and almost levelled off' (agriculture actually started at 6 million and declined to 2 million, but the description of other sectors is more confused). Furthermore, the concluding paragraph contains major errors in data interpretation, mixing up healthcare and agriculture data ('dropping to healthcare around 3 million'). While the main trends are partially identified, the confusing and inaccurate reporting of figures pulls the score down into the lower-middle band.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The essay is divided into paragraphs, which helps structure the response, but the internal logical progression within paragraphs is often compromised by confusing phrasing and incorrect referencing. Cohesive devices are attempted (e.g., 'Overall', 'Looking at the graph in detail', 'In contrast', 'Although'), but their mechanical usage and faulty logical connections make the progression difficult to follow at times. For instance, the sentence starting with 'Although the healthcare is contributed less...' introduces ideas that contradict the actual visual data and muddle the comparison between sectors. Paragraphing is present, but overall logical sequencing is hindered by lexical and grammatical slips.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is generally basic and sometimes awkward or inaccurate for academic reporting. Examples include 'economy sectors' instead of 'economic sectors', 'the figure for the manufacturing job is the highest' (job as an uncountable/countable confusion), and 'constantly rose by the end of period' (misuse of adverbs and collocations). There are also instances of word form errors, such as 'is contributed less' and 'retail and healthcare centers' instead of sectors. While the student attempts some less common vocabulary, the noticeable errors and imprecise word choices cause some difficulty for the reader.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The student demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, but control over grammar is weak, with frequent errors that occasionally impede clear communication. Examples of grammatical errors include 'the figure for the manufacturing job is the highest followed by the slight decline', 'retail and healthcare centers were constantly rose', and 'is on peak in 1960 almost at 15 million with dramatic rise up to 20 million'. Preposition and article usage are frequently flawed (e.g., 'at the end of period', 'an agriculture sector'). Complex structures are often faulty, placing the response firmly in the Band 5 category for grammar.

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

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