Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)
The line graph illustrates the number of job openings available in different sectors between 1960 and 2020.
Overall, employment in the retail sector rose from approximately 6 million jobs and consistently increased to around 16 million jobs by 2020. However, agriculture became the sector with the fewest job opportunities, with only around 4 million jobs in 2020.
In 1960, manufacturing became the leading industry, offering 15 million job openings, and it grew significantly until 1980, reaching 20 million. Agriculture and retail offered around 6 million jobs each. However, the former steadily increased, whereas the latter steadily decreased to around 4 million jobs during 1980 and 2000, and to approximately 2.5 million by 2020. The agriculture sector started with around 1.5 million job openings and rose significantly, offering the same number of job opportunities as the retail sector by 2020.
In addition to this, the manufacturing sector provided the highest number of job opportunities during the initial period (1960), with 15 million jobs, and increased its employment opportunities until the 1980s. After that, a sudden fall was observed, and it became the third-largest sector in terms of job opportunities.
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 provides a clear overview and identifies key trends for the four sectors. However, there are significant inaccuracies in data reporting. For instance, you state that agriculture had 'around 6 million jobs' in 1960, whereas the graph shows it closer to 15 million, and you confuse the trends for agriculture and manufacturing in the latter half of the period. While you attempt to compare the sectors, the misinterpretation of the data points hinders the clarity of the report. To improve, ensure that you carefully cross-reference the labels and the specific data points on the axes before writing, as accuracy is paramount in Task 1.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organised into logical paragraphs, with an introduction, an overview, and body paragraphs. You use some cohesive devices such as 'However', 'In addition to this', and 'whereas' to link ideas. However, the progression of information is sometimes confusing due to the factual errors mentioned in the task achievement section. The referencing is occasionally unclear, particularly when discussing the 'former' and 'latter' sectors, which makes it difficult for the reader to follow the comparison. Improving the precision of your cohesive links will help the flow of your argument.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'illustrates', 'consistently increased', 'leading industry', and 'employment opportunities'. There is an attempt to use less common vocabulary, though some word choices are slightly imprecise given the data. For example, describing a trend as a 'sudden fall' is acceptable, but ensure that your vocabulary is always supported by the visual evidence provided. The spelling is accurate throughout, and the vocabulary used is sufficient to convey the main points of the graph clearly.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as the use of subordinate clauses starting with 'whereas' and 'although'. While there are some grammatical errors, such as the tense usage in 'manufacturing became the leading industry' (which should be 'was'), these do not impede communication. Most sentences are clear, and punctuation is generally used correctly. To reach a higher band, focus on increasing the variety of complex structures and ensuring that your verb tenses consistently match the time frame of the data (1960–2020).
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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