Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-26

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 illustrates data for the US economy in different sectors of jobs between 1960 and 2020.

Overall, the retail jobs economy showed an upward trend over the period, while agriculture followed the opposite pattern. It is also noticeable that manufacturing experienced the most significant change.

At the beginning of the period, healthcare stood at 2 million. It then increased gradually to 5 million in 1980, before reaching around 16 million at the end of the period.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.0

The response severely fails to meet the minimum length requirement of 150 words, containing only 77 words. Due to this under-length, the task is only partially addressed, and the information is severely underdeveloped. While the writer attempts an overview and briefly mentions healthcare, manufacturing, retail, and agriculture, major data points and comparisons are omitted. According to official IELTS descriptors, an under-length response cannot achieve a band score above 4.0 for Task Achievement, as the selection and reporting of main features are extremely truncated and incomplete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response demonstrates a basic logical structure, beginning with an introductory sentence, followed by an overview paragraph, and a specific detail paragraph. Cohesive devices are minimal, with phrases like 'Overall,' and 'At the beginning of the period,' providing simple links between ideas. However, paragraphing is inadequate due to the extreme brevity of the text, and there is no clear progression of body paragraphs covering the broader data set. Progression is stunted by the lack of content, leading to a score of 5.0.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is generally appropriate for the topic, with terms such as 'upward trend,' 'opposite pattern,' 'significant change,' and 'increased gradually.' However, the range is very limited due to the short length of the text. There are no spelling errors, and the vocabulary used is accurate within its restricted scope. This matches the Band 5 descriptor of a limited but minimally adequate range for the task.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The writer uses simple and complex sentence forms effectively in the few sentences produced, such as 'It then increased gradually to 5 million in 1980, before reaching around 16 million at the end of the period.' The sentences constructed are grammatically accurate and free of errors. However, because the structural range is severely constrained by the short word count, it cannot be judged as a wide or varied range, capping the score at a 5.0.

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.