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 given line graph provides information about the amount of jobs in four sectors , which included manufacturing ,retail, agriculture in the united state from 1960 to 2020 over a period of 60 years , measured in millions .

Overall , it can be seen that the number of jobs in retail and healthcare showed an increasing trend , while manufacturing and agriculture experienced a decreasing trend during the time .

In the beginning , in 1960 the number of jobs healthcare started at 15 millions and increased to 20 millions by 1980. However, it decreased steadily approximately 17 millions in 2000. On the other hand, the amount of jobs agriculture commenced at around 7 milions in 1960 , and experienced a gradual decline over the time , which reached nearly 3 millions in 2020.

Meanwhile, retail and healthcare had the lowest levels of jobs in 1960 but their jobs gradually increased to roughly around 16 and 17 , respectively, in 2020.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

The student attempts to cover the main features of the graph, presenting an overview and some specific data points. However, there are significant factual errors in matching the data from the chart to the text. For instance, the student states that the number of jobs in healthcare started at 15 million in 1960, whereas the chart clearly shows manufacturing at 15 million in 1960 and healthcare starting much lower at around 2 million. Additionally, the categories are confused in the body paragraphs, mixing up manufacturing, healthcare, and agriculture statistics. While an overview is present, the inaccurate reporting of data prevents the response from achieving a higher band score.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The essay is organised into four paragraphs, including an introduction, an overview, and body paragraphs. Basic cohesive devices are used, such as 'Overall', 'In the beginning', 'However', and 'Meanwhile'. However, logical progression and referencing are frequently faulty due to the confusion between the economic sectors being described. For example, the transition from discussing healthcare to agriculture is disjointed, and pronoun referencing becomes unclear when the data is misattributed. Paragraphing is attempted, but the internal cohesion suffers from the inaccurate data presentation.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The student demonstrates an adequate vocabulary range for a basic description, using terms such as 'increasing trend', 'decreasing trend', 'gradual decline', and 'millions'. However, there are noticeable lexical errors and awkward word choices, such as 'amount of jobs' instead of 'number of jobs', 'united state' (missing capitalization and pluralization), and 'milions' (spelling error). Less common vocabulary is attempted with limited success, and the persistent errors in data attribution affect precision.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response includes a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as relative clauses ('which included...'). However, grammatical accuracy is weak, with frequent errors including punctuation issues, missing articles, and subject-verb agreement or tense inconsistencies (e.g., 'the number of jobs healthcare started', 'approximately 17 millions in 2000' missing a preposition like 'to' or 'at'). While the sentences are generally understandable, the frequency of errors places this at a band 5 level.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

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