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 provides information about the number of jobs in four sectors of economy in the US from 1960 to 2020.Overall,a drastic increase can be seen throughout the years,however in agriculture sector a slight downfall has appeared.According to the graph,Manufacturing had the major contribution till 2000 ,but in 2020s a slight variation has occured.The retail industry had a tremendous growth throughout the years.in the same year healthcare also had a massive growth.Agriculture is the only sector with least growth.Overall manufacturing had a massive growth during 1960s.It is also observed that during 2020s,healthcare has only slight variation while comparing with manufacturing.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 4.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 4.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5
The response fails to meet the minimum length requirement, containing only 91 words compared to the required 150 words. Because of this severe under-length, the task is addressed only partially. While the student attempts to provide an overview and mentions several key trends—such as the growth in retail and healthcare and the decline in agriculture—the reporting of data is incomplete and lacks sufficient detail. Key figures and comparisons are missing or vaguely described, such as stating that manufacturing had a major contribution without specifying exact years or values from the chart. To reach higher bands, the writer must expand the response past the word count minimum and select and report main features more comprehensively.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.0
The text lacks proper paragraphing, as everything is grouped together in a single block of text. Cohesive devices are used mechanically or repetitively, such as the frequent overuse of phrases like 'Overall' and 'throughout the years'. The overall progression of information is disjointed, and referencing is sometimes unclear, for instance in sentences like 'in the same year healthcare also had a massive growth' where the specific year is ambiguous. While there is a basic attempt to introduce the graph and state some trends, the lack of structured paragraphs and clear logical transitions significantly hinders the overall readability and flow of the response.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The vocabulary used is adequate for basic communication, but it remains quite limited and repetitive. The student attempts some less common vocabulary items such as 'drastic increase', 'slight downfall', and 'tremendous growth', but these are occasionally imprecise or poorly collocated, as seen in phrases like 'a slight variation has occured' or 'least growth'. There are also minor lexical and punctuation errors, such as spacing issues after commas and periods. To improve lexical resource, the student should aim to use a wider variety of precise terminology to describe data trends, avoiding repetition of basic descriptive words.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
The response demonstrates a limited range of sentence structures, relying primarily on simple sentences with occasional, mostly faulty attempts at complex clauses. There are frequent grammatical errors, particularly regarding missing articles, such as 'in agriculture sector' instead of 'in the agricultural sector', and prepositional errors like 'jobs in four sectors of economy'. Punctuation is also problematic, with missing spaces after punctuation marks throughout the text. These errors can cause occasional difficulty for the reader. To achieve a higher band, the student needs to demonstrate better control over basic grammar rules, articles, and punctuation, while incorporating a wider variety of accurate complex sentence forms.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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