Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-02

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 following paragraph shoes number of jobs availaible in US during differnt time period. There are four types of jobs availabe in US. First is manufacturing, secons is retail, third is agriculture and fourth is healthcare.

In 1960, 15 millions jobs were availaible in manufacturing field whereas in retail department and agriculture department about 6 millions jobs were availaible. In the same year 2 milions jobs were availalibe in healthcare department. During the period of 1980, the jobs in manufacturing department were icreased to 20 millions and it was 5 millions more than previous year. In retail department jobs were also increased to 10 millions whereas in healthcare department was seen increment in jobs of 3 millions which was half of retail's jobs. In agriculture department was no change in number of jobs. In 2000 and 2020, manufacuring jobs decresed to 16 millions and 13 millions respectively. In agriculture department jobs were decreased .5 million whereas in retail department jobs were increased to 15.5 millions.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

The response addresses the task only partially. While the student attempts to report some data from the graph, such as mentioning the four sectors and citing several figures for 1960 and other years, the information presented is often inaccurate or incomplete. For instance, the student states that in agriculture there was 'no change in number of jobs' in 1980, whereas the graph shows a decline. The overview is missing entirely, as the introductory sentences merely describe what the graph is rather than summarising the main trends. Furthermore, key comparisons between the sectors are largely absent, leaving the response under-developed and failing to present a fully clear picture of the visual data.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

There is some organisation within the response, as the student attempts to progress chronologically from 1960 to later years and separates the introduction from the body details. However, there is no clear overall progression or logical structure guiding the reader through the main trends. Cohesive devices are basic, repetitive, and sometimes inaccurate, leading to a mechanical feel. For example, transitional phrases between sentences are weak, and referencing is occasionally unclear, such as abruptly jumping between different sectors without adequate linking. Paragraphing is also poorly managed, as the body of the response is clumped together into a single dense block of text instead of being logically divided by time periods or economic sectors.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is limited in range, though minimally adequate to communicate basic information about the graph. There are noticeable lexical errors, such as spelling mistakes ('availaible', 'differnt', 'secons', 'manufacuring', 'decresed') and awkward word choices ('healthcare department' instead of 'healthcare sector'). The student attempts to use some less common vocabulary related to economic data, but these attempts are marred by inaccuracies in word form and collocation. While communication is not entirely blocked, these persistent errors require the reader to occasionally pause and decipher the intended meaning.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response demonstrates a very limited range of sentence structures, relying heavily on simple sentences and repetitive subject-verb-object patterns. Attempts at more complex structures or descriptive phrases are often faulty, as seen in awkward phrasing like 'was seen increment in jobs' and 'in agriculture department was no change'. There are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text, including missing articles ('in US', 'in retail department'), incorrect prepositions, and persistent subject-verb agreement issues ('15 millions jobs were availaible', 'jobs... was increased'). These frequent errors cause noticeable difficulty for the reader and reflect a weak control of basic grammatical patterns.

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