Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-05

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 outlines data about employment generation in quadrant sectors of the economy in the US betwen 1960 and 2020. The data of jobs given in millions .

Overall, manufacturing sector produced highest number of jobs whereas agricultural sector created most lowest among all sectors.

It is clear from the graph that healthcare sector produced apporimately 2 milions job in 1960 coming to manufacturing which genrated employment three times more than retail and agriculture that was 5 million. Manufacturing generated more jobs in 1980 that was 20 million then decined in employment generation

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.0

The response responds to the task only minimally, failing to meet the minimum length requirement of 150 words by stopping at just 94 words. While the writer attempts an overview and mentions a few data points, such as manufacturing and healthcare figures, the selection of information is very restricted. The content is incomplete and fails to provide a fully developed summary of all four sectors across the period. For instance, the overview incorrectly states that the agricultural sector created the lowest number of jobs overall when agriculture actually experienced a downward trend starting above healthcare in 1960. Furthermore, there are several misreadings of the data, such as claiming healthcare produced approximately 2 million jobs in 1960 when the graph shows a figure closer to zero. To improve, the writer must write a complete response exceeding the word limit and accurately report key trends across all categories.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

There is some basic organization with an introductory sentence and an overall summary paragraph, but there is no clear overall progression due to the fragmented nature of the text. Cohesive devices are minimal, inadequate, and sometimes awkward, as seen in the abrupt transition 'coming to manufacturing which genrated employment'. Paragraphing is attempted, but the paragraphs are extremely short and underdeveloped, failing to group related information logically. Referencing is also weak, making it difficult to follow the relationships between the data points. To achieve a higher band, the writer needs to organize ideas into coherent, well-developed paragraphs and use a wider and more accurate range of cohesive devices to link sentences and data smoothly.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is limited and barely adequate for the task. The writer attempts some less common vocabulary, such as 'employment generation' and 'quadrant sectors', but these attempts are marred by inaccurate word choice and spelling errors, such as 'quadrant' instead of 'four', 'betwen', 'genrated', 'apporimately', 'milions', and 'decined'. There is also heavy repetition of basic structures and vocabulary related to jobs and sectors. Although the meaning can generally be deciphered despite the errors, the lexical range restricts the precision needed for a task of this nature. To improve, the writer must expand their vocabulary range, learn precise collocations for describing data, and check spelling carefully.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The writer uses a very limited range of sentence structures, relying mostly on simple sentences with frequent errors. Attempts at more complex structures are faulty, such as the dangling and ungrammatical modifier in 'coming to manufacturing which genrated employment three times more than retail and agriculture that was 5 million.' There are frequent errors in basic grammar, including missing articles ('produces highest number', 'in 1980 that was 20 million then decined'), punctuation issues, and awkward prepositional phrases. These frequent errors can cause some difficulty for the reader. To improve, the writer needs to incorporate a wider variety of clause structures accurately and ensure that basic grammatical rules regarding articles, tense consistency, and punctuation are consistently applied.

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

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