Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-01

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 graph illustrates the job market from 1960 to 2020 of four major sectors of the US economy.

Overall, the trends show that there was a huge boost in the number of jobs for the Healthcare and Retail sector during the period.

On the other side, there was a small decline in the beginning and then the number of jobs for Agriculture and Manufacturing sectors remain almost identical throught the time till 2020.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.0

The response fails to meet the minimum length requirement of 150 words, containing only 74 words. Consequently, the task is addressed only minimally. While the student attempts to summarise the overall trends by noting the growth in Healthcare and Retail and mentioning Agriculture and Manufacturing, the selection of features is very limited and lacks sufficient detail or data citation from the chart. Major trends such as the peak and subsequent decline in Manufacturing are missed, and the description of Agriculture and Manufacturing as 'almost identical' is factually incorrect according to the visual data. The response lacks a fully developed overview and does not make adequate comparisons where relevant, placing it at a minimal response level.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The writing demonstrates a basic overall arrangement with an introductory sentence and some grouped points, though it is heavily fragmented due to the severe lack of length. Cohesive devices are minimal, relying on simple connectors like 'Overall' and 'On the other side'. Paragraphing is attempted with single-sentence paragraphs, but the logical progression and layout are hindered by the brevity of the text. Referencing is generally clear, but the lack of extended body paragraphs prevents a fully coherent and developed organizational structure.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is minimally adequate for the task, attempting some sector-specific terms such as 'Healthcare', 'Retail', 'Agriculture', and 'Manufacturing'. However, the range is restricted and repetitive. There is a noticeable lexical error in the phrase 'throught the time', which features a spelling mistake ('throught' instead of 'through'). Other word choices like 'huge boost' and 'small decline' demonstrate an adequate attempt to describe trends, but the overall lexical resource remains limited, restricting the student from achieving a higher band.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, such as 'Overall, the trends show that there was a huge boost...'. However, there are noticeable grammatical errors and awkward agreements, such as 'the number of jobs for Agriculture and Manufacturing sectors remain', where the verb 'remain' should be plural to match 'sectors' (or phrased differently with 'the number'). Preposition and article usage show occasional slips, but basic sentence structures remain mostly clear and communication is not severely impeded by these errors.

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

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