Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-27

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 give line graph shows the information about the number of jobs in four different sectors of US economy betwen 1960 and 2020 . it is appatent from the graph that retail and health sector increased and other two sectors decrease with time.

it is obvious that in Retail sector, number of jobs in 1960 is just higher than 5 but after two decades (in 1980) the value increased to 10 and in next 20 years the figure rose up to 15 and ended up in 2020 with slight increase to 17.A same tragedy can be seen in healthcare sector, in 1980 the number of jobs started with almost 3 but with time it climbed up to 5 and in 2020 , the figure rose up to 17.the number of jobs in manufacturing industry started with 15 and with time the number declined and in 2020 the value was approx 13. in start the number of agriculture sector was just higher than 5 and it started decreasing and in 1980 it became approximately 4 and remain unchanged towards 2000 and in next twenty years the figure slightly decreased in 2020 and ended up with 2

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The student attempts to address the prompt by summarising the main trends for the four sectors shown in the graph. An overview is provided at the beginning, noting that retail and healthcare increased while manufacturing and agriculture decreased. However, there are several inaccuracies in reading the data from the chart. For instance, the student states that retail jobs in 1960 were 'just higher than 5' (the chart shows 6) and that healthcare in 1980 started with 'almost 3' (the chart shows 5). Furthermore, the final value for retail and healthcare in 2020 is stated as 17 for both, whereas healthcare reaches 16 and retail reaches 16. Despite these minor data discrepancies, the main features and general trends are captured. The response fulfils the basic task requirements, placing it at Band 5.5.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The organisation of the text is somewhat compromised by poor paragraphing. The entire response is essentially lumped into two very dense blocks of text, lacking proper separation between the introduction, overview, and body paragraphs. Cohesive devices are used, but they are often repetitive or awkward, such as 'with time' and 'in start'. Referencing is sometimes unclear, for example using 'A same tragedy can be seen' to introduce a parallel trend in the healthcare sector, which is an inappropriate lexical choice for data description. The progression of ideas is discernible, but the overall lack of structured paragraphs and mechanical cohesion limits the score to Band 5.0.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is basic and repetitive, frequently relying on simple verbs like 'increased', 'decreased', 'started', and 'rose up'. There are also inappropriate word choices and lexical errors, such as using 'tragedy' instead of 'trend' or 'pattern' when describing economic sectors, and typos like 'give' instead of 'given' and 'appatent'. While the student attempts less common vocabulary, inaccuracies in collocation and word choice are noticeable and occasionally cause slight confusion for the reader. The lexical range is adequate for a basic summary but lacks flexibility and precision, fitting a Band 5.0 profile.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The student uses a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, though complex structures are often clumsy or contain grammatical errors. There are frequent punctuation and capitalization issues, such as missing capital letters at the beginning of sentences ('it is appatent', 'it is obvious') and lack of spaces around punctuation marks. Errors in verb tense and preposition usage also occur, such as 'in start' instead of 'at the beginning' and mixing past and present tenses erratically ('number of jobs in 1960 is just higher'). However, the meaning is generally communicated despite these frequent errors, supporting a Band 5.0 score.

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