Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)

This line graph depict the information about how many jobs were present in the four economy sectors in the USA in the time period of 1960 to 2020.

Overall, the manufacturing sector and agriculture has good number of jobs in the past while at present it has somehow decreased and the number of jobs in other sector increase significantly.

If we look towards the manufacturing sector then in 1960 the number of jobs has more then 50 million.The graph show some rise in 1980 around 20 million but after that it descreses and number levelled of than 15 million, number of jobs in the agriculture sector has slightly more than 5 million in 1960 while in 1980 it the number falls than 5 million till 2020.

The retail and health care center has the number of jobs slightly more than 5 million and less than 5 million in 1960 respectively. The jobs increase in 1980 and till 2020 the number of jobs become more than 15 million.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

The response addresses the task only partially, presenting an overview with some key features of the four sectors, but containing noticeable inaccuracies in reporting the data. For example, the student states that manufacturing had 'more then 50 million' jobs in 1960, which significantly misreads the graph where the peak is around 20 million and the 1960 figure is 15 million. While the overview attempts to summarise the general trends, the lack of accurate data reporting and the presence of under-developed ideas mean the task response remains limited.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The text exhibits overall coherence with an identifiable introduction, overview, and body paragraphs, fulfilling basic organisational requirements. Ideas are generally grouped by sectors, but referencing and logical progression are sometimes faulty. For instance, the transition between sentences feels mechanical, and pronouns like 'it' are used ambiguously, making it difficult to track whether the writer refers to manufacturing or agriculture. Paragraphing is attempted, but the internal logical flow within paragraphs needs more careful structuring and clearer cohesive devices to guide the reader seamlessly.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is limited and minimally adequate for the task. There are several noticeable word-choice and word-form errors that reflect a lack of precision, such as 'depnict' instead of 'depicts', 'descreses', and 'levelled of'. The student attempts some less common vocabulary related to data trends, but these attempts are coupled with inaccuracies in spelling and collocation. While communication is not entirely blocked, the restricted range and frequent lexical errors prevent the response from achieving a higher band.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response features a very limited range of sentence structures, relying heavily on simple sentences and basic coordination. Attempts at complex sentences are frequently faulty, leading to grammatical errors in subject-verb agreement and tense consistency, such as 'the manufacturing sector and agriculture has' and 'the number of jobs become'. Punctuation is also weak, with run-on sentences and missing terminal punctuation in places. These frequent grammatical errors cause some difficulty for the reader and demonstrate restricted control over complex grammatical forms.

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