Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

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

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 illustrates the changes in number of jobs across four different fields of US economy from 1960 to 2020.

Overall, retail and healthcare are two sectors in which employment rose dramatically, whereas manufacturing and agriculture fields fell slightly.

Manufacturing area had around 15 million jobs at the start, which reached up to 20 million in the next two decades. Following that, there was a considerable decline in this domain in the next four decades. In the agriculture field, the number of jobs fell gradually throughout the period.

However, retail industry had a fewer jobs in the beginning, which grew dramatically from 1960 to 2000. In the next two decades, it reached just over fifteen million job opportunities. Healthcare sector rose slightly during the first two decades, before experiencing a sharp increase between 1980 and 2020, eventually attaining the same level of employment as the retail industry in 2020.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response covers all four sectors and provides a clear overview of the trends. You have successfully identified the main features, such as the dramatic rise in retail and healthcare versus the decline in manufacturing and agriculture. However, the report could be improved by including more specific data points from the graph to support your descriptions. For instance, when mentioning the 'considerable decline' in manufacturing, citing the approximate peak and end-point values would strengthen the analysis. The comparison between sectors is generally well-handled, particularly the observation that healthcare and retail reached the same level by 2020. Overall, the task is addressed well, though more precise data integration would elevate the response.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The response is logically organized, with a clear introduction, an overview, and body paragraphs that group the sectors by their trends (declining vs. rising). The progression of ideas is easy to follow. You use cohesive devices such as 'whereas', 'following that', and 'however' to link your points effectively. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the different trends. To reach a higher band, ensure that referencing is always precise; for example, 'this domain' clearly refers to manufacturing, but ensure that transitions between sentences remain smooth throughout the entire text to maintain a natural flow.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate a sufficient range of vocabulary to convey the trends accurately, using terms like 'dramatically', 'considerable decline', and 'attaining'. There is an awareness of collocation, such as 'job opportunities' and 'employment levels'. While the vocabulary is functional and appropriate for the task, it lacks a degree of sophistication or 'less common' items that would characterize a higher band. There are no significant errors in word choice, and the language used is precise enough to communicate the information clearly without ambiguity.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as 'Manufacturing area had around 15 million jobs at the start, which reached up to 20 million...'. Most sentences are error-free, and your control of grammar is generally good. However, there are minor issues with article usage, such as 'in number of jobs' (should be 'in the number of jobs') and 'retail industry had a fewer jobs' (should be 'had fewer jobs'). These errors are infrequent and do not impede communication. To improve, focus on consistent article usage and ensuring subject-verb agreement in more complex sentences.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

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