Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-08-06

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 6.5)

The line graph shows the number of jobs in four sectors of the US economy between 1960 and 2020. The figures are given in millions.

Overall, manufacturing had the highest number of jobs for most of the period, but it declined after 1980. In contrast, retail and healthcare increased steadily, while agriculture remained the smallest sector and showed a gradual fall.

In 1960, manufacturing employed about 15 million people. This number rose to 20 million in 1980 before falling around 17 million in 2000 and 13 million in 2020. Retail started at approximately 6 million jobs in 1960 and increased continously to 10 million in 1980, 15 million in 2000 and almost 16 million buy 2020, making the it the largest employer at the end off the period.

Healthcare had only 2 million jobs in 1960, but it grew steadily to around 5 million in 1980 and 11 million in 2000. By 2020, it reached about 15 million jobs. O the other hand, agriculture fell from roughly 6 million jobs in 1960 to only 2 million in 2020, with little change after 1980.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

You have successfully identified the main trends and provided a clear overview of the data. You highlighted the key shifts, such as the decline in manufacturing and the growth in retail and healthcare, and supported these with relevant data points. The comparison between sectors is effective and meets the requirements of the task. To reach a higher band, ensure that all data points are accurate and avoid minor slips in reporting figures, such as the slight inconsistency in the manufacturing trend description. Overall, the response is well-structured and covers all parts of the prompt effectively.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The response is logically organized, with a clear introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs that group information by sector trends. The progression of ideas is smooth, and you have used cohesive devices such as 'In contrast', 'On the other hand', and 'By 2020' to link information effectively. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the different sectors. The flow is natural, and the relationship between the different parts of the graph is clearly communicated to the reader throughout the text.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You have used a sufficient range of vocabulary to describe trends, such as 'increased steadily', 'gradual fall', and 'largest employer'. The language is generally precise and appropriate for an academic report. There are a few minor errors, such as 'continously' (spelling) and 'making the it' (grammatical slip), but these do not impede communication. To improve, try to incorporate more sophisticated synonyms for 'increase' or 'decrease' to demonstrate a wider range of lexical control.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You demonstrate a good command of sentence structures, using a mix of simple and complex sentences effectively. Most of your sentences are error-free, which allows for clear communication. There are a few minor slips, such as 'buy 2020' instead of 'by 2020' and 'off' instead of 'of'. These are infrequent and do not affect the clarity of your report. Your use of tense is consistent and appropriate for describing historical data. Continued attention to proofreading will help eliminate these small errors.

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