Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-22

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 chart illustrates information about the number of jobs in four different sectors in United States from the period of 1960 to 2020.

Overall, in the start, manufacturing sector accounted for highest number of positions but gradually decreasing, whereas agriculture contributted the least.

It is clearly visible that manufacturing was the highest figure recorded in 1960 with overall 15 millions jobs opening reaching at 20 million in 1980, however with the time as other sectors shown growth, manufacturing sectors declined gradually made up to little less than 1960's. On the other hand, retail and healthcare were only sectors shown a steady growth from 6 million and 3 million to little bit more than 15 millions in 2020, repectively. The lowest contributions was accounted from agriculture sector which stood at same as of retail at 6 million occupation madeup an downward trend to 3 million in 2020. Although agriculture was the lowest contributor, manufacturing also shown same downward trend.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The student covers all four sectors and provides an overview of the main trends. However, there are several factual inaccuracies and confusions regarding the data. For instance, the text states that retail and healthcare both grew from 6 million and 3 million to 'little bit more than 15 millions in 2020, respectively', which is inaccurate (healthcare reached 16 million, while retail also reached 16 million, but agriculture started at 6 million, not 3 million). Furthermore, the sentence regarding agriculture claims it 'stood at same as of retail at 6 million occupation madeup an downward trend to 3 million in 2020', which misreads the 1960 starting point for retail versus agriculture. While the main features are touched upon, the lack of precise data reading pulls down the score to a Band 5.5.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The response has an overall structure consisting of an introduction, an overview, and body details, but the progression is somewhat hindered by clunky transitions and confusing sentence construction. For example, 'Overall, in the start, manufacturing sector accounted for highest number of positions but gradually decreasing' lacks clear grammatical linkage. Paragraphing is attempted, but sentences within the body paragraphs are crammed with multiple data points, making the logical flow difficult to follow. Cohesive devices are used ('whereas', 'however', 'On the other hand', 'Although'), but they are sometimes mechanically applied or follow inaccurate logical relations. Referencing is occasionally unclear, such as pronoun use and backward-looking comparisons.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is adequate for describing basic trends and categories, utilising words such as 'sector', 'accounted for', 'gradually decreasing', and 'downward trend'. However, there are frequent word choice and collocation errors, such as 'contributted', 'jobs opening', 'occupations madeup', and 'manufacturing also shown same downward trend'. Less common vocabulary is attempted with limited success and awkward phrasing. Spelling mistakes like 'contributted' and grammatical slips in lexical forms ('repectively' instead of respectively) prevent the response from achieving a higher band. Overall, the lexical range is sufficient for the task but exhibits noticeable errors.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, using clauses with 'whereas', 'however', and 'although'. However, grammatical accuracy is weak, with frequent errors in tense consistency, missing articles, and awkward verb forms (e.g., 'manufacturing sector accounted for highest number', 'as other sectors shown growth', 'manufacturing sectors declined gradually made up to'). Punctuation is basic, and sentences are frequently over-long or structurally tangled, which occasionally strains comprehension. The proportion of error-free sentences is relatively low, placing this firmly in the Band 5 category.

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