Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-06

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 details the number of jobs in four sectors of economy in the US from 1960 to 2020. The overall perspective of the graph shows that, the number of jobs are the most in 1980 of manufacturing(20 million) and the least is of agriculture(3 million) in 2020. The retail and healthcrae jobs were constantly increasing.

In manufacturing jobs, the data shows 15 million when recorded in 1960 which gone the highest in 1980(20 million) and kept decreasing till 2020(13 million). While th retail jobs constantly increased from 6 million(1960) to 15 million(2000) and icreased a little bit in 2020(16 million).

Talking about the agricultural jobs which constantly decreased from1960(6million) as of manufacturing jobs where also at 6 million but increased which shows the intrest of people. In 2020 agriculture was the least at 3 million whereas healthcare kept increasing from 3 million(1960) to match till the numbers of retail jobs in 2020 at 16 million.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

The response sits at this level because it is slightly under the word count minimum, measuring 149 words against the 150-word requirement. It addresses the task partially by attempting to report the main features and trends of the four sectors, but the overview is flawed and unclear, incorrectly stating that jobs were the most in 1980 of manufacturing and the least of agriculture in 2020. While some data points are provided, such as manufacturing reaching 20 million in 1980, the selection and reporting of data are inconsistent and under-developed. To reach a higher level, the student must meet the minimum word count, provide a clearer and more accurate overall summary of the major trends, and ensure that all main features across the entire timeframe are appropriately covered.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The organisation shows some overall structure with paragraphs dedicated to different sectors, but there is a lack of a clear overall progression throughout the text. Cohesive devices are used, but they are sometimes mechanical or inaccurate, such as starting a sentence with 'Talking about the agricultural jobs which constantly decreased...', which leads to a fragmented sentence structure. Paragraphing is attempted, but grouping ideas logically is handled weakly, making the flow somewhat disjointed. To improve, the student should ensure that each paragraph has a clear topic sentence, use cohesive devices more naturally to link ideas and sentences smoothly, and avoid ungrammatical transitions between clauses.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is limited but minimally adequate to communicate basic information about the graph, such as 'manufacturing', 'retail', 'agriculture', and 'healthcare'. There are noticeable lexical errors, such as the spelling mistake 'healthcrae', as well as awkward phrasing like 'the number of jobs are the most'. The range of vocabulary is restricted, and attempts to use less common items result in occasional errors that cause some difficulty for the reader. To achieve a higher score, the student needs to expand their lexical range by incorporating precise economic and graphical terminology, ensuring accurate word forms and correct spelling throughout the text.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The student uses a limited range of sentence structures, relying heavily on simple sentences and occasional faulty attempts at complex forms. There are frequent grammatical errors, such as subject-verb agreement issues ('the number of jobs are'), tense inconsistencies ('which gone the highest' instead of 'which went to the highest'), and missing prepositions or incorrect articles. Punctuation errors are also present, which can cause difficulty for the reader. To improve, the student must focus on mastering basic sentence construction, ensuring correct verb tenses for past data, maintaining subject-verb agreement, and reducing the frequency of errors in complex clauses.

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