Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-28
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 graph illustrates the number of jobs in four sectors: Manufacturing, Retail, Agriculture, and Healthcare in the economy in the US over the period 1960 to 2020.
Overall, jobs in the manufacturing sector was higher from all other sectors but it declined after some time, while the number of jobs in retail and agriculture sectors rose gradually and remaind same at the end but in healthcare sector the number of jobs decreased throughout the period.
In 1960, there were 15 million jobs in manufacturing sector which played the great positive role in the US economy and it rose steadily to 20 million in 1980 before the decline in the number of jobs in 2020. On the other hand, jobs in retail and agriculture sectors rose throughout the period and stopped at remained almost the same 16 million jobs in 2020. However, there was 6 millions jobs in healthcare sector in 1960 and declined throughout the period.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 4.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5
The response attempts to cover the main features of the graph, but it contains several significant factual inaccuracies regarding the visual data. For example, the student states that 'jobs in the manufacturing sector was higher from all other sectors' throughout, but Healthcare and Retail actually surpassed Manufacturing by 2020. Furthermore, the student claims that the healthcare sector decreased throughout the period, whereas the visual data clearly shows Healthcare increasing dramatically from 2 million in 1960 to 16 million in 2020. Similarly, Agriculture and Retail trends are confused in the body paragraph. The overview is flawed due to these misinterpretations. Consequently, the response only partially addresses the task requirements.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0
The essay is divided into an introduction, an overview, and a body paragraph, showing a basic structural layout. However, the logical progression is hindered by factual errors and confusion between the data sets. Cohesive devices such as 'Overall', 'In 1960', and 'On the other hand' are attempted, but their use is mechanical and sometimes confusing due to the contradictory information they connect. Paragraphing is underutilized, as the entire body of data analysis is crammed into a single block of text rather than being logically grouped by trends or time periods.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.0
The vocabulary used is generally basic and repetitive, relying on terms like 'jobs', 'sectors', 'economy', 'rose', and 'decreased'. There are noticeable lexical and collocation errors, such as 'played the great positive role' and 'remaind same' (spelling error). The student attempts some less common vocabulary ('manufacturing', 'agriculture', 'healthcare'), but inaccuracies in reporting the data directly undermine the precision of the lexical choices. The range is minimally adequate for the task, but errors in spelling and word choice are apparent.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
The response exhibits a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but control over grammar is inconsistent. There are several grammatical errors, such as subject-verb agreement issues ('jobs... was higher', 'there was 6 millions jobs') and tense inconsistencies ('remaind same'). Punctuation is basic, and run-on sentences appear, such as the second sentence of the overview which links multiple clauses with 'while' and 'and'. While these errors do not completely obscure the general topic, they occur frequently enough to impede smooth reading.
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