Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-03

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

Number of jobs in four sectors of the economy in the US, 1960-2020

Student answer (Band 5.0)

The multiple lines of the graph shows the comparison between four sector of the economy in the US from [redacted phone]. initially as you can see in the graph the manufacturing sector is on its peak if we compare it with other sectors. In 1980 the agriculture declined in constrast with the remaining factors,however the manufacturing rate climbed.

Likewise retail and healthcare rise with the passage of time but in contrast the agriculture drop over the time however, manufacturing grow initially and falls over the time.It means that the healthcare and reatils are flowing the same trend.Later on 1980 the agriculture becomes stablized after two years of drop. In 2020 the the retail and the heathcare are on same point about more than 15 million jobs.

In the nutshell the manufacturing and agriculture showing the compeletly diverse behaviours while the retail and healthcare go hand in hand over six years before meetin at the same point.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response5.0
Coherence and Cohesion5.0
Lexical Resource5.0
Grammatical Range and Accuracy5.0
Overall5.0

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

The response addresses the task only partially. While the student attempts to summarise the main features of the graph, the overview is missing, and the information provided is sometimes inaccurate or confused, such as stating the graph starts in 1920 instead of 1960. Some trends are mentioned, but key comparisons across the four sectors are limited and under-developed. Ideas are presented without a clear organising principle, making it difficult to follow the overall trends across the 60-year period. To reach a higher level, the student needs to present a clear overview at the beginning and ensure that data points and trends are reported accurately and comprehensively.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

There is some organisation, but the response lacks a clear overall progression. Paragraphing is basic and fails to structure the report logically. Cohesive devices are used awkwardly or repetitively, such as the frequent reliance on phrases like 'in contrast' and 'however'. Referencing is also unclear in places, such as when referring to 'remaining factors' or 'six years', which causes confusion for the reader. To improve, the student should use logical paragraph breaks to separate different trends or time periods, and employ a wider, more natural range of cohesive devices to connect ideas smoothly.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is limited and barely adequate for the task. There are noticeable errors in word choice and spelling, such as 'reatils', 'compeletly', and 'stablized', which cause some difficulty for the reader. The student attempts some less common vocabulary related to data reporting, but these attempts often lack accuracy or appropriate collocation, as seen in phrases like 'manufacturing rate climbed' or 'retail and healthcare are on same point'. To achieve a higher band, the student must expand their vocabulary range and improve accuracy in spelling and word choice.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response demonstrates a very limited range of sentence structures, relying heavily on simple sentences and basic coordination. Attempts at complex sentences often result in faulty structures and frequent grammatical errors, particularly with subject-verb agreement, articles, and prepositions, such as in 'the manufacturing and agriculture showing' and 'Later on 1980 the agriculture becomes stablized'. These frequent errors can cause difficulty for the reader. To progress, the student needs to develop better control over basic grammatical structures and increase the variety of error-free complex sentences.

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