Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-25

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 graph illustrates number of jobs opening in these sectors including Manufacturing, Retail, Agriculture and Healthcare.

Overall Retail and Agriculture increased significantly whereas Manufacturing and Healthcare jobs decreased slightly over the period.

According to the given graph Manufacturing job was 15 millions in 1960 and it increased sharply to 20 millions in 1980 after that decreased significantly over the period.

Along with that Agriculture sector have approximately 6 millions jobs in 1960 but it decreased slightly over the period.

However Retail and Healthcare jobs was above 5 millions and 2.5 millions respectively in the year 1960. In 1980 Retail and Healthcare jobs increased to almost double. In 2000 Retails job increased 3 times than 1960, along with that Healthcare also increased to double around 2 times. So overall

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

The response fails to meet the minimum word count requirement of 150 words, stopping abruptly after 129 words and leaving sentences unfinished such as 'So overall'. Furthermore, the overview contains factual inaccuracies regarding the trends: it claims that Retail and Agriculture increased significantly while Healthcare and Manufacturing decreased slightly. In reality, Healthcare experienced a massive surge from 2 million to 16 million, while Agriculture declined. The body paragraphs attempt to report data points from 1960, 1980, and 2000, but miss the final data for 2020 entirely. Due to the severe under-length issue, incomplete concluding thoughts, and inaccurate overview trends, the task achievement is limited.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response attempts a basic structure with an introduction, overview, and body details, but the organization is severely disrupted by the abrupt ending mid-sentence. Cohesive devices are very basic and repetitive, relying on connectors like 'and', 'along with that', and 'however'. Paragraphing is fragmented, with very short, underdeveloped paragraphs. Reference pronouns are occasionally unclear, and the overall progression breaks down completely as the text tails off at the end without a proper conclusion or full reporting of the timeline up to 2020.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is very basic and repetitive, with frequent reliance on simple verbs like 'increased', 'decreased', and 'was'. There are noticeable collocation and word choice errors, such as 'jobs opening' instead of 'job openings', 'Manufacturing job was 15 millions' instead of 'million', and 'Retails job'. Less common vocabulary is virtually absent. Spelling is generally acceptable for common words, but the limited range and lexical inaccuracies restrict the score to this band.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, but control is weak. There are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with subject-verb agreement and plurals (e.g., 'Agriculture sector have approximately', 'Manufacturing job was 15 millions'). Punctuation is also problematic, with missing commas after introductory phrases and run-on structures. The abrupt ending 'So overall' leaves a major grammatical and structural incomplete fragment. Error frequency causes some distraction for the reader throughout the short text.

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