Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-30

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 chart gives information about the number of jobs in four sectors of the economy in the US between 1960 and 2020.By summarising the information reporting the main features and making comparisons.

Overall, the jobs in four sectors of the economy in US are in millions. In 1960, the manufacturing sector have the maximum number of jobs almost 15 millions. but the healthcare sector have the minimum jobs almost 2.5 millions.

At the end, agriculture and retail sectors have same number of jobs in 1960. But in 2020, the jobs in manufacturing and agriculture sector in US decreased but in other sectors such as retail and healthcare jobs increased to 15 millions.

So in agriculture sector loss too much jobs and stand at only 2.5 millions. But the healthcare sector have too much jobs in US almost 15 millions. At the end, the main increase in jobs is in retail and healthcare sectors.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

The response attempts to cover the main features of the chart, noting the highest and lowest sectors in 1960 and the general upward and downward trends over the period to 2020. However, the overview is incomplete and somewhat confused, stating 'the jobs in four sectors of the economy in US are in millions', which merely describes the axis unit rather than providing a true summary of trends. Furthermore, there are several inaccurate data reports; for instance, the student states that agriculture and retail had the same number of jobs in 1960 (they were 6 million and 6 million, so this is correct, but retail grew significantly while agriculture declined), and states that retail and healthcare jobs increased to 15 millions in 2020 (healthcare is 16 million, and retail is 16 million). The body paragraphs lack clear selection and accurate reporting of key data points, leading to a Band 5.0 performance.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The essay is divided into paragraphs, though the paragraph structure is erratic. The introductory paragraph ends abruptly mid-sentence with 'By summarising the information reporting the main features and making comparisons.' The overall progression is somewhat disjointed, jumping between 1960 data and 2020 changes without a logical flow. Cohesive devices are used mechanically or awkwardly, such as 'At the end,' used multiple times to introduce new points instead of conclusions. Referencing is sometimes unclear, and the lack of sophisticated cohesive links prevents the writing from achieving a higher band. However, there is a basic arrangement of ideas, making the overall organization sufficient for a Band 5.0.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is basic and repetitive, frequently reusing terms such as 'sectors', 'jobs', 'economy', 'millions', and 'increased'. There are notable lexical inaccuracies and awkward phrasing, such as 'loss too much jobs' instead of 'lost a significant number of jobs' or 'experienced a sharp decline'. Collocations are weak ('have the maximum number of jobs', 'stand at only'). Spelling is generally acceptable, but the limited range of vocabulary and frequent reliance on simple descriptive words restricts the lexical score to a Band 5.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The student uses a mix of simple sentence forms, but attempts at more complex structures frequently result in grammatical errors. There are frequent tense and agreement errors, such as 'the manufacturing sector have the maximum number of jobs' (should be 'had' for past tense, and 'had' or 'has'), 'agriculture sector loss too much jobs', and sentence fragments or run-on structures like 'By summarising the information reporting the main features and making comparisons.' Punctuation and capitalization are also faulty in places (e.g., lowercase letters after periods or missing spaces). These frequent errors cause some difficulty for the reader and place the response firmly in Band 5.0.

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