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)

Approximately, the 60 years of different job records have been shown in this graph.

15 million jobs of manufacturing increased in 20 years to 20 milion jobs and than a graduall decrease have been seen after next 20 years which is more than 15 million but less than 20 million approximately 17 million.

Retail industry jobs stats with 6.5 million and increase continuously with same speed till 2000th year with 15 million jobs and than a slight increase contrastly less than previous with 16 million till 2020.

Agriculture industry jobs starts with 6.5 million and than decreases to 3.5 million which remain same till 2000th year. after that it still goes on decresing to 2.5million till 2020.

Healthcare industry starts with 2.5 million and than goes on incresing with almost same gaps to 15.75 million till 2020.

This graph shows increase almost in every field except Agriculture and also a sudden decrease in manufacturing industry too.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

The student attempts to report the main features and trends of the four sectors across the given period, satisfying the basic requirements of the task. However, there are several inaccurate data readings and miscalculations when compared to the visual data. For instance, the student states that manufacturing started at 15 million and increased to 20 million, which is correct, but then misinterprets the 2000 and 2020 figures. Furthermore, agriculture is described as starting at 6.5 million, whereas the graph indicates it started at 6 million, and retail is similarly misread. An overall summary is provided at the end, but the factual inaccuracies in reporting specific data points limit the clarity and precision of the response, placing it at a Band 5.0.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response lacks standard paragraphing, with most sentences presented as a sequence of single-sentence paragraphs or a block of separate lines. While there is a rudimentary attempt to progress through the industries chronologically, the overall organizational structure is disjointed. Cohesive devices are basic and repetitive, relying heavily on time markers like 'then' and 'after that'. Referencing is sometimes unclear, and the lack of a cohesive introductory overview paragraph impedes the logical flow of the writing. These weaknesses align with the Band 5 descriptor for Coherence and Cohesion.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is generally basic and repetitive, frequently reusing verbs such as 'starts', 'increases', and 'decreases'. There are several spelling and word choice errors, including 'graduall' (gradual), 'stats' (starts), 'continuously with same speed' (steadily), and 'contrastly' (in contrast). While the student attempts some less common terms like 'industry' and 'sectors' (implied), the lexical range remains limited and adequate only for basic task reporting. The noticeable errors in spelling and collocation can occasionally cause difficulty for the reader, fitting a Band 5.0 profile.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response shows a limited range of grammatical structures, consisting predominantly of simple sentences and faulty attempts at complex ones. There are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text, such as missing articles, incorrect prepositions, and tense inconsistencies (e.g., 'jobs stats with', 'decreases to 3.5 million which remain same'). Punctuation is also weak, with run-on phrasing and improper capitalization in places. These errors occur systematically and frequently cause some difficulty for the reader, which corresponds to a Band 5.0 score.

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