Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-11-06

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 5.5)

THE LINE CHART ILLUSTRATED THE NUMBER OF JOBS IN FOUR SECTORS OF THE ECONOMY WHICH IS MANUFACTURING, RETAIL, AGRICULTURE AND HEALTHCARE. IN THE UNITED STATE BETWEEN 1960 AND 2020.

OVERALL, IT IS CLEAR THAT MANUFUCTURING AND AGRICULTURE SHOWN DESCREAD JOBS VACANCIES PATTERN AT THE END. RETAIL SHOWN ROSE GRADUALLY AND HEALTHCARE SHOWN DRAMATICALLY CHANGED IN JOBS OFFERED OVER THE TIME.

IN 1960, MANUFACTURING INRODUCED 15 MILLION JOBS WHILE AGRICULTURE ONLY 6 MILLION JOBS OPPORTUNITIES. IN 1980, BOTH SHOWED DRAMATICALLY CHANGED MANUFACTURING ROSE TO 20 MILLION AND AGRICULTURE SINKED TO APPROXIMATELY 3 MILLION JOBS. AT THE END, MANUFACTURING FALLEN TO 13 MILLION JOBS VACANCIES. AGRICULTURE ALSO FALLEN FROM 3 MILLION TO 2 MILLION JOBS.

RETAIL AND HEALTHCARE SHOWN ROSE AT THE BOTTOM OF GRAPH WHICH IS 6 MILLION JOBS AND 2 MILLION JOBS. IN 1980 BOTH SHOWN INCREASED ORDER WHERE BOTH GAVE 10 MILLION AND 5 MILLION JOBS.AT THE END OF 2020 BOTH INCREASED TO THEIR POSITION TO 16 MILLION WHERE HEALTHCARE SHOWN DRAMATICALLY CHANGED OVER THE TIME.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You cover all four sectors and identify the main broad patterns: manufacturing and agriculture decline by the end, while retail and healthcare rise. Several figures are accurately reported, including manufacturing at 15 million in 1960 and 20 million in 1980, and healthcare at 2 million initially and 16 million in 2020. However, the overview is not fully precise: manufacturing first rises before falling, and healthcare’s increase is a trend rather than simply a dramatic change. Some comparisons are also unclear, especially the statement that retail and healthcare “both increased to their position to 16 million”; retail reaches 16 million, but healthcare rises from 11 million in 2000. A clearer overview and more precise comparisons would develop the key features more fully.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, an overview and two body paragraphs. Grouping manufacturing with agriculture, then retail with healthcare, gives the information a generally logical arrangement. However, progression within the paragraphs is sometimes difficult to follow because several years and trends are compressed into long, loosely connected statements. Phrases such as “at the end” and “in 1980” help signal time, but connections such as “both showed dramatically changed” do not clearly explain how the series compare. The final sentence repeats the idea of healthcare changing dramatically rather than adding a distinct comparison. Use clearer sentence boundaries and link each figure directly to the trend it supports.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use relevant chart vocabulary, including “rose,” “fell,” “jobs,” and “million,” and you attempt to describe different patterns rather than listing figures alone. However, the range and control are limited by repeated or inaccurate expressions. “Jobs vacancies” and “jobs opportunities” are not natural descriptions of the number of jobs, while “healthcare shown dramatically changed” does not clearly convey a steady rise. There are also noticeable spelling errors, including “manufucturing,” “descread,” “inroduced,” and “sinked,” which reduce clarity and precision. Choose standard trend language and check spelling carefully; accurate, straightforward wording is more effective than an ambitious but unsuitable phrase.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

You attempt both simple and more extended sentence forms, and the reader can usually identify the intended comparisons. However, grammatical control is weak in many sentences. For example, “Manufacturing inroduced 15 million jobs” and “Agriculture also fallen” lack appropriate verb forms, while “Retail and healthcare shown rose” combines incompatible structures. Articles and sentence construction also need attention: “In the United State” does not form a complete, accurate introductory sentence, and the final paragraph contains a run-on transition in “jobs.AT the end.” These errors sometimes make relationships between figures unclear. Practise complete sentences with a consistent past-tense verb, such as “Manufacturing stood at…” and “Agriculture fell to…,” and use punctuation to separate ideas.

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