Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-07-30

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 6.5)

The graph illustrates the number of jobs in four sectors (Manufacturing, Retail, Agriculture and Healthcare)of the economy in the US between 1960 and 2020. Overall, the highest number of job was Manufacturing, and the lowest number of job was Healthcare in the beginning. By contrast, Healthcare and Retail became the highest number of job in the final period.

In 1960, Manufacturing job was 15 million, then increased and reach to peak to 20 million in 1980, after that fell sharply to over 10 million in 2020. In the first period, Agriculture job was over 5 million, and then decreased sharply until 1980, subsequently it fell slightly until last period.

In the beginning, Retail and Healthcare were over 5 million and around 2 million respectively. Subsequently, these sectors increased gradually and reached over 15 million which the highest number in 2020.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response covers the main features of the graph, identifying the trends for all four sectors. However, the response is under the 150-word minimum, which limits the depth of the analysis. While the overview is present, it lacks a bit of detail regarding the specific crossing points or the relative scale of the changes. The data points are generally accurate, but the under-length penalty is applied here as the response fails to meet the basic length requirement, preventing a more comprehensive summary of the provided data.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized into three paragraphs: an introduction with an overview, and two body paragraphs. The progression of ideas is clear, moving from the initial state to the final period. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'In 1960', 'subsequently', and 'By contrast', which help guide the reader. However, some transitions are slightly mechanical, and the paragraphing could be more balanced to improve the flow. Overall, the structure is sufficient to follow the writer's argument, but it lacks the sophisticated linking required for higher bands.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task, allowing the writer to describe trends (e.g., 'increased gradually', 'fell sharply', 'reached a peak'). However, there is a lack of variety and some repetitive phrasing, such as 'number of job' appearing multiple times. There are also minor errors in word form, such as 'Manufacturing job was' instead of 'Manufacturing jobs were'. To reach a higher band, the student should incorporate more precise terminology related to data description and avoid repeating the same nouns and verbs throughout the response.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The student uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. However, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly regarding subject-verb agreement and pluralization (e.g., 'highest number of job' instead of 'highest number of jobs', 'Agriculture job was' instead of 'Agriculture jobs were'). Additionally, there are issues with article usage and prepositions, such as 'reach to peak to 20 million'. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are frequent enough to prevent the response from reaching a higher band. More attention to plural forms and verb tenses is needed.

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