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 delineates the total number of jobs in four different sectors of the economy in the United states of America for the period start from 1960 and ends on 2020. The sector includes the Manufacturing, Retail, Agriculture and finally the healthcare.

Manufacturing with the straight line on the line graph compares, in 1960 the number of employment opportunities were about 15 million, therefore it was steadily increased in year 1980 to 20 million. A slight decline was witnessed in 2000 to 16 million, again a major drop to 13 million in 2020 and this is the major deline over four years.

Furthermore, retail sector with little gapped line on the chart, illustrates the immense growth over the period. It was the retail industry recovery stage as the job were only about 6 million available, therefore, a major boom to 15 million was in 2000, additionally, a bit increase of about 1 million in 2020

Agriculture sector with the small dotted line, shows the huge growth from 1960 to 2020. About 3 million jobs were available in 1960, however, an upward puch in 1980 and additional growth in 2000 further, an unusual rise in 2020 to 16 million jobs, this shows a huge demand in 2020 for this sector.

Healthcare illustrates a consecutive deline over the period starting from 1960 to 2020. The jobs were avaible in this sector of about 6 million, however, due to unknown reasons it was gradually fallen to 3 million over the period.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 3.5

The response only partially addresses the task due to severe inaccuracies in data reporting and a complete reversal of trends for several categories. For instance, the student states that the agriculture sector experienced an unusual rise to 16 million jobs in 2020, whereas the graph clearly shows it dropping to a minimal level around 2 million. Similarly, healthcare is described as having a consecutive decline from 6 million down to 3 million, while the visual data actually shows a dramatic upward trend from 2 million up to 16 million. While an attempt is made to report on all four sectors, the severe misinterpretation of the visual data and failure to present an accurate overview prevent the response from achieving a higher mark.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response exhibits some organisation through the use of paragraphs for each economic sector, but overall progression is hindered by confusing descriptions and faulty cohesive devices. The writer attempts to link ideas using connectors like 'Furthermore' and 'however', but these are frequently misused, such as 'therefore, a major boom to 15 million was in 2000'. Referencing is also problematic, with vague phrases like 'with the straight line on the line graph compares' leading to mechanical and disjointed text. While paragraphing is present to separate the different categories, the lack of a clear overall overview and disjointed logical flow keep the response at this band.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is limited and frequently inaccurate, leading to noticeable strain for the reader. The writer attempts some topic-specific terms like 'manufacturing', 'retail', 'agriculture', and 'healthcare', but struggles with word choice and word formation, resulting in awkward phrasing such as 'number of employment opportunities', 'upward puch', and 'consecutive deline'. Spelling errors also occur, such as 'deline' instead of decline and 'avaible' instead of available. These lexical slips and restricted range mean the vocabulary is only minimally adequate for conveying the intended information.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response displays a very limited range of structures, with frequent grammatical errors that often cause difficulty for the reader. There are persistent issues with verb tenses, subject-verb agreement, and prepositions inside grammatical patterns, such as in the opening sentence: 'for the period start from 1960 and ends on 2020'. Attempts at complex sentences are frequently faulty, leading to run-on structures and confusing clauses like 'Manufacturing with the straight line on the line graph compares, in 1960 the number of employment opportunities were about 15 million'. Punctuation is also weak, with comma splices replacing proper sentence boundaries.

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