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 line graph illustrates the number of jobs in four sectors of US ecomonoy between 1960 and 2020.

Overall, downward pattern showed in two sectors which was manufacturing and agriculture. While, regarding retail and heathcare the graph was rising between the following years.

In 1960 there were 15 million jobs in manufacturing sector which increased at 20 million in 1980.

While it started decreasing in 2000 and it was less than 15 million in 2020 .Agriculture sector showed same pattern like manufacturing. In1960 it started with over 5 million jobs and declined between 1960 and 2020. In 2020 it was less than 5 million jobs.

In contrast, Rising pattern showed in retail and healtcare sectors. In 1960 there were only more than 5 million jobs in retail sector. But it significantly increased between 1960 and 2020. In 2020 there were more than 15 million jobs in this sector. Simillary, there was a considerable rise in agriculture sector. In 1960 it was less than 5 million but in 2020 it was more than 15 million.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

The student covers all four sectors of the economy (manufacturing, retail, agriculture, and healthcare) and attempts to report the main features and trends between 1960 and 2020. An overall trend is provided in the second paragraph, noting the downward and upward patterns. However, there are some data inaccuracies and minor confusion in the text. For example, the student writes, 'Simillary, there was a considerable rise in agriculture sector. In 1960 it was less than 5 million but in 2020 it was more than 15 million,' which incorrectly identifies agriculture instead of healthcare as the sector that experienced this dramatic rise. Additionally, some figures are described vaguely or incorrectly, such as stating that manufacturing increased 'at 20 million in 1980' (which is accurate) but then misstating the 2020 figure. Because of these inaccuracies and the confusion between data series, the task response is partially limited.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has an overall structure consisting of an introduction, an overview, and body paragraphs dedicated to the details. However, the organisation of information lacks clarity and logical progression in places, worsened by the data confusion mentioned in Task Achievement. Paragraphing is attempted, but sentences are often disjointed and rely heavily on repetitive transitional phrases such as 'In 1960' and 'In 2020' to sequence information. Cohesive devices are used mechanically rather than flexibly. For instance, referencing is occasionally unclear or contradictory, and the transition between ideas does not always flow smoothly. The overall arrangement achieves basic coherence, but cohesion is faulty and mechanical.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary to describe trends, including verbs and adjectives such as 'increased', 'decreasing', 'declined', and 'considerable rise'. However, there are spelling errors, such as 'ecomonoy' instead of 'economy' and 'Simillary' instead of 'Similarly', as well as word-choice errors like 'heathcare' and 'healtcare'. The student also mislabels data categories by referring to healthcare as agriculture in the final sentence. These lexical errors and inaccuracies show a limited range that is just sufficient for the task, resulting in noticeable flaws that occasionally cause difficulty for the reader.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The writing demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, such as 'While, regarding retail and heathcare the graph was rising between the following years' and 'In 1960 there were 15 million jobs in manufacturing sector which increased at 20 million in 1980.' However, grammatical control is weak, with frequent punctuation and preposition errors, such as missing articles ('in manufacturing sector', 'in retail sector') and incorrect prepositions ('increased at 20 million'). There are also problems with fragment sentences and awkward punctuation placement (e.g., placing a comma after 'While'). These errors occur frequently throughout the response, though they do not completely impede overall communication.

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