Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-11-10

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)

In this graph, we can illustrate that throughout some information that the number of jobs in different sectors of the economy in the US from 1960 to 2020.

Here we can divided just two parts of whole graph. In this graph we can see that manufacturing and agriculture are declined by 1960 to 2020. On the other hand, we can see that retail and healthcare are increasing from 1960 to 2020.

In 1960, manufacturing started in 15 millions then they increased but they fall in down after in 1980. In 2000, they stayed in 17 millions after that they decreased below 15 millions in 2020. At the same situation for agriculture sector. They started from 5 millions people but they were also declined by 3 millions people in 2020.

On the other side, retail and healthcare just increased in day by day. They worked very well for US economy. At the end of the year they were met same values in 2020.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the broad contrast between manufacturing and agriculture declining and retail and healthcare rising, which captures an important feature of the graph. However, some details are inaccurate or unclear: manufacturing peaked at 20 million in 1980, not after 1980, and agriculture fell from about 6 million to 2 million, rather than ending at 3 million. The statement that retail and healthcare had the same values in 2020 is correct, but the response does not give their figures or explain how their growth differed. The opening does not provide a clear overview, and the description of the main trends is only partly developed. Select the key turning points and report the approximate values accurately.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a basic structure: an introduction, a broad comparison, and paragraphs describing the declining and rising sectors. Phrases such as “On the other hand” and “On the other side” help signal contrast. However, progression is limited because the same general trends are repeated without a clear sequence of comparisons or supporting figures. Some references are difficult to follow, particularly “they” in the manufacturing description, where the reader must infer whether it refers to jobs or the sector. The division into “two parts” is not clearly reflected in the paragraphing. Organise the report around the two trend groups, then compare their values at the start, peak or turning point, and end.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant terms, including “manufacturing,” “agriculture,” “retail,” “healthcare,” “increased,” and “decreased,” so the topic is generally understandable. However, the vocabulary range is limited and several expressions are inaccurate or unnatural, such as “illustrate that throughout some information,” “increased in day by day,” and “they worked very well for US economy.” These choices make parts of the report difficult to interpret and do not describe the data precisely. Use standard chart language and collocations, such as “the number of jobs rose,” “employment declined,” “reached a peak,” and “stood at.” Avoid adding evaluative claims about sectors’ contribution to the economy when the graph only shows job numbers.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response relies mainly on simple sentences and attempts some longer structures, but errors are frequent and sometimes make relationships between ideas unclear. For example, “we can divided” should be “we can divide,” while “manufacturing and agriculture are declined” needs a past-tense form such as “declined.” The sentence “manufacturing started in 15 millions then they increased but they fall in down” has problems with tense, agreement, and sentence construction. There are also errors in articles and number forms, as in “for US economy” and “15 millions.” Practise accurate past-tense reporting and build clear sentences with one main comparison at a time; this will improve both control and readability.

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