Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-23

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 provided line graph illustrates the involvement of people in 4 different jobs( manufacturing, retail, agriculture and healthcare ). The graph shows the economy of US make from different sectors. From an overall prespectives manufacturing becomes highest until 2000 but in year 2020 retail and healthcare overtake manufacturing. The unit is in millions and graph show the time peroid of six decades.

Manufacturing shares the most uncommon features as it incline in 1980 to 20 millions however after 1980 it decline to approximately 13 millions. Retail and healthcare shows the same properties as it both incline from the beggning whatever healthcare dramatically increase as compare to retail. Retail was about 5.5 millions and healthcare was almost 2 millions by coming 2020 both reach about 16 millions.

Moreover agriculture dramatically decline from the beggning of start of the char. As it was about 6 millions in year 1960 and then reach about 2 millions by 2020. Eventhough retail and healthcare seems to be same in the graph, healthcare share the most dramatic incline.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

The student attempts to address the task by reporting key features and making comparisons across the four sectors shown in the graph. An overview is provided in the introduction, noting that manufacturing peaked before being overtaken by retail and healthcare in 2020. However, there are some inaccuracies in reporting the data: for instance, the writer states that manufacturing reached 20 millions in 1980 (which is accurate), but misreads the retail figures slightly or presents some confusion regarding the starting points and final values. Additionally, agriculture is described as declining dramatically from 6 millions to 2 millions, which is largely correct, but the overall development of ideas lacks depth and precision in places. The response satisfies the basic requirements of Academic Task 1, but falls into Band 5 due to some inaccurate data points and under-developed comparisons.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The essay is divided into paragraphs, though the grouping of information is somewhat disjointed. The introduction attempts to set out an overview, followed by body paragraphs discussing individual trends. However, the logical progression is hindered by poor paragraph transitions and repetitive statements, such as reiterating that healthcare experienced a dramatic increase. Cohesive devices are used minimally and sometimes awkwardly, as seen with phrases like "Manufacturing shares the most uncommon features" and "by coming 2020 both reach about 16 millions." Referencing is occasionally unclear, which disrupts the smooth flow of the text. Overall, the arrangement shows some organization, but referencing and paragraph structure need tighter control to achieve a higher band.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is relatively basic and repetitive, with frequent reliance on words like "jobs," "sector," "incline," and "decline." There are notable lexical errors and awkward collocations, such as "involvement of people in 4 different jobs," "the economy of US make from different sectors," and "prespectives." The writer attempts some less common vocabulary, such as "dramatically increase" and "overtake," but lexical control is limited, and spelling or word-choice errors occur frequently (e.g., "prespectives," "peroid," "beggning," "Eventhough"). While the vocabulary is minimally adequate to convey the basic topic, the noticeable errors and restricted range place this criterion firmly at Band 5.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response displays a very limited range of grammatical structures. Most sentences are simple or attempt complex structures that result in frequent grammatical errors and awkward phrasing, such as "the graph show the time peroid of six decades" (subject-verb agreement and tense issues) and "Retail and healthcare shows the same properties as it both incline from the beggning whatever healthcare dramatically increase as compare to retail." Punctuation and article usage are also inconsistent (e.g., missing articles before "US" and "graph"). These frequent errors cause some difficulty for the reader and demonstrate weak control over complex sentence forms, consistent with the Band 5 descriptors.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.