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)

T to he line graph depicts information about the amount of employments in four various departments of the economic system in US from 1960 to 2020.

To begin with manufacturing sector, it stood at 15 million jobs in 1960, while a sudden rise was noticed in amount in 1990 by 20 million. There was a significant fall from around 17 million in 2000 to less than 15 million in 2020. Meanwhile, in 1960, agricultural department accounted for 5 million. it minimally declined in jobs in 1990 to less than 5 million and it stately unchanged from 2000 to 2020.

By contrast, retail sectors recorded 5 million. A sharp incline was seen in number till 2000 with 15 million. There was remain stable in 2020 by 15 million. Last observation in Healthcare sector, it constituted nearly 2 million. A normal increase was noted in post in 1990 to 10 million. There was continuous growth in workers till 2020 with 15 million.

Overall, the highest number of jobs was observed in manufacturing sector compare to other in 1990. Agriculture sector continuously rose in employments in all years.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response covers all four sectors and provides a clear overview of the trends. However, there are some inaccuracies in data reporting. For instance, the text states the agricultural sector 'minimally declined' and remained 'stately unchanged' from 2000 to 2020, whereas the graph shows a clear downward trend. Additionally, the summary in the final paragraph is slightly inaccurate, as it claims the agriculture sector 'continuously rose', which contradicts the visual data. While the main features are identified, the lack of precision in data interpretation prevents a higher score.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The essay is logically organized into paragraphs, with each sector or group of sectors receiving its own section. Cohesive devices such as 'To begin with', 'Meanwhile', and 'By contrast' are used to guide the reader. However, the flow is occasionally hindered by awkward phrasing and mechanical transitions. Referencing is generally clear, but the connection between sentences could be smoother to improve the overall progression of ideas. The paragraphing is appropriate for the task, providing a clear structure for the reader to follow.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

The range of vocabulary is adequate for the task, but there are several instances of unnatural word choice and collocation errors. Phrases like 'amount of employments', 'stately unchanged', and 'normal increase' are imprecise or incorrect in this context. While the student attempts to use sector-specific terminology, the lack of precision in describing trends (e.g., 'amount' instead of 'number of jobs') limits the score. To improve, the student should focus on using more precise collocations for describing statistical trends.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are frequent grammatical errors, such as 'T to he line graph', 'in amount in 1990 by 20 million', and 'There was remain stable'. These errors are noticeable and occasionally distract the reader, although they do not fully impede communication. The control over articles and prepositions is inconsistent. To reach a higher band, the student needs to focus on sentence construction and ensuring subject-verb agreement, as well as reducing basic errors in tense and structure.

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