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)

This grapgh shows quota of jobs in manufacturing,healthcare,retail and agriculture sector of US economy between 1960 and 2020.

The healthcare is the only one industry in which jobs continue to increase from 4 million to 16 million without any minor decline whereas, in manufactruing sector the jobs dramtically rises between the time period of 1960 and 1980 but then, fall continuously without any recovery.

The agriculture depatment does not portray any major trends like other ones the jobs only reduced from 6 million to 4 million between the span on 60 years.In contrast to it retail sector shows rapid increase of jobs in its first 40 year but then recruitments starts to slow down from 2000 to 2020.Overall, no other depatment than agriculture reaches the highest jobs mark of 20 million and in the same way, 8 million loss of jobs is also done is agriculture sector in its lately 40 years.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

The student attempts to address all four sectors shown in the graph, fulfilling the basic requirements of an academic task 1. An overview is attempted, though it contains factual inaccuracies regarding the data. For instance, the text claims that 'no other department than agriculture reaches the highest jobs mark of 20 million', whereas manufacturing reached 20 million in 1980, and retail and healthcare both reached 16 million by 2020. Furthermore, the statement that '8 million loss of jobs is also done is agriculture sector' is incorrect as agriculture dropped from 6 million to 2 million (a loss of 4 million). While main features are identified, the misinterpretation of data points pulls the score down.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response is presented in a single dense paragraph rather than structured into logical paragraphs (such as an introduction, overview, and body paragraphs). This makes the text difficult to follow. Although some cohesive devices and transition markers are used—such as 'whereas', 'In contrast to it', and 'Overall'—their punctuation and integration are often awkward. For example, sentences run together without proper periods or commas, creating a lack of clear progression and logical flow throughout the response.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is adequate to describe the general trends, including terms like 'increase', 'decline', 'sector', and 'economy'. However, there are numerous spelling errors ('grapgh', 'manufactruing', 'dramtically', 'depatment', 'lately') and awkward word choices, such as 'quota of jobs' instead of 'number of jobs' or 'employment figures'. The repetition of basic terms also limits the lexical range. While meaning is generally conveyed, these frequent errors hinder precision.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The essay displays a very limited range of grammatical structures. Simple sentences dominate, and attempts at complex structures often contain noticeable errors, such as missing articles ('The healthcare is the only one industry'), incorrect prepositions ('between the span on 60 years'), and run-on sentences ('Overall, no other depatment than agriculture reaches the highest jobs mark of 20 million and in the same way, 8 million loss of jobs is also done is agriculture sector in its lately 40 years'). Punctuation is frequently misused or omitted.

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