Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-29

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 graph illustrates the vast numbers of jobs in US that contributes to its economy between 1960 and 2020 and defines the importance of that sectors in US economy.

Overall, it is clear that healthcare and retail sectors are deliberately increasing in giving job oppurtunities compare to other two sectors. While agriculture remains same across years and shows contstant line on the graph.

Firstly, in the year 1980, the jobs in manufacturing field were high among the other fields and capacity of jobs were 20 millions and that numbers were declined upto approxmately 14 million in 2020. By looking at retail, in the year 1960 to 2020, it varied from 3 million to 16 millions which showed the demand of that field in US.

And Healthcare and agriculture stats shows that from 1980 to 2020 there were nothing special changes in that sectors acording to job information, as agriculture remains same across years and healthcare were increased upto 16 milion jobs that shows the importance of that filed in US.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

The student attempts to address the prompt by summarising the main features of the graph regarding US employment across four sectors from 1960 to 2020. An overview is attempted, noting that healthcare and retail are increasing while agriculture remains stable. However, there are notable factual inaccuracies and misreadings of the data. For instance, the student states that manufacturing jobs were 20 million in 1980 and declined to 'approxmately 14 million in 2020' (the actual figure is around 13 million), and claims that retail varied from '3 million to 16 millions' when the graph starts at 6 million in 1960. Furthermore, the paragraph about healthcare and agriculture contains contradictory and inaccurate statements, such as claiming agriculture remained the same while healthcare increased to 16 million, yet grouping them together as having 'nothing special changes'. These inaccuracies prevent the response from achieving a higher band score.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response is divided into four paragraphs, including an introduction and an overall summary. There is an attempt at logical progression, using transitional markers such as 'Overall', 'Firstly', and 'And'. However, paragraphing and referencing are sometimes faulty and mechanical. For example, the sentence starting with 'And Healthcare and agriculture stats shows...' awkwardly groups disparate trends together and begins a new paragraph abruptly. Cohesive devices are occasionally inaccurate or overused, and referencing is at times confusing, such as the vague transition 'By looking at retail, in the year 1960 to 2020, it varied...' Overall arrangement shows some basic organization, but lacks smooth flow and precision.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is adequate for a basic summary but is limited and repetitive. The student attempts some less common vocabulary items such as 'oppurtunities', 'contstant', and 'capacity', but these are often marred by spelling errors (e.g., 'oppurtunities', 'approxmately', 'acording', 'filed') and awkward word choices (e.g., 'vast numbers of jobs... that contributes', 'deliberately increasing'). The range of vocabulary is restricted, and errors in word form and spelling occasionally cause strain for the reader, placing it firmly in the band 5 range.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response exhibits a limited range of sentence structures, relying heavily on simple sentences and coordination. Attempts at complex sentences frequently lead to grammatical errors, such as subject-verb agreement issues ('the vast numbers of jobs... that contributes', 'healthcare stats shows', 'healthcare were increased') and prepositional errors ('jobs in US'). Punctuation is basic, and frequent grammatical slips occur throughout the text. While meaning can generally be extracted, the high frequency of errors across basic and complex structures restricts the grammar score to band 5.

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