Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-08-03
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 illustrates the trend followed by four different sectors, namely manufacturing, retail, agriculture, and healthcare between the year 1960 and 2020 in the United States market. The scale of job is in millions.
Overall, it is evident that the manufacturing sector had the highest number of job openings among other three. Retail and healthcare showed increasing trend whereas, agriculture showed decreasing trend.
To begin with, there were around 15 million at the starting which increased to 20 million in 1980 and started declining and in the final 2020 it crashed around 17 million jobs. Moreover, for the first 20 years retail and healthcare were parallel in the chart with 2 million and 6 million and by 1980 reached till 5 million and 10 million respectively. Both the sectors kept on increasing and at last crossed each other at 16 million jobs in year 2020.
However, there was year-on year decline in agriculture sector which began with 6 million in year 1960 and started falling rapidly to 3.5 million jobs in 1980. Also, in year 2000 there were nearly only 3 million jobs and finally in the year 2020 it recorded it's lowest at 2 million jobs.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response covers all four sectors and provides a clear overview of the trends. However, the data reporting is inconsistent. For instance, the description of the manufacturing sector is vague, referring to 'around 15 million' without clearly identifying the starting point or the peak. Furthermore, the claim that retail and healthcare were 'parallel' is inaccurate based on the provided data, as their growth rates differed significantly. While the main features are identified, the lack of precision in reporting specific figures and the misinterpretation of the trends limit the score. To improve, ensure that data points are accurately extracted and that comparisons are based on the actual figures provided in the graph.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is logically organized into an introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs. Cohesive devices such as 'To begin with', 'Moreover', and 'However' are used to link ideas. However, the progression of ideas is sometimes hindered by imprecise referencing; for example, the phrase 'the manufacturing sector had the highest number of job openings among other three' is grammatically awkward. Additionally, the transition between the overview and the body paragraphs could be smoother. Paragraphing is used appropriately, and the overall structure is clear, but the mechanical nature of some transitions prevents a higher score.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, with terms like 'illustrates', 'declining', and 'recorded' used appropriately. However, there are instances of imprecise word choice and collocation errors, such as 'crashed around 17 million' (which is not a standard way to describe a trend) and 'crossed each other at 16 million'. There is also a minor error in 'it's lowest' (should be 'its'). The range of vocabulary is sufficient to convey the main points, but it lacks the sophistication and precision required for a higher band score.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are several grammatical errors that occur throughout the text. Examples include 'among other three' (should be 'among the other three'), 'at the starting' (should be 'at the start'), and 'in year 2000' (missing article 'the'). There is also an issue with subject-verb agreement and article usage. While these errors do not impede communication, they are frequent enough to prevent the response from reaching the 7.0 band, which requires frequent error-free sentences.
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