Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-08-10

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 given line chart illustrates data about jobs in four different sectors of the economy in the US from 1960 to 2020.

Overall, 40 out of 60 years manufacturing sector had the highest number of jobs available and in 2005 retail sector took over. However. Agriculture sector had lowest number of jobs After 1975.

it can be vividly seen that, in 1980 manufacturing sector was on the peak after that, the number of jobs dropped gradually over years.Retail and healthcare sector jobs surged considerably over the years and ended up with almost same number of jobs even though in 1960 retail had more job compared to healthcare.

Moving to the rest of information, Agriculture is only sector never crossed 7 million mark and dropped over the years becoming least jobs available in 2020.In 2015, manufacturing and healthcare crossed each other and health care went up while manufacturing dropped till 2020.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response covers all four sectors and identifies key trends such as the decline in manufacturing and the growth in retail and healthcare. However, the analysis is somewhat superficial. For example, the statement '40 out of 60 years manufacturing sector had the highest number' is imprecise, and the description of the trends lacks specific data points to support the comparisons. The overview is present but could be more clearly integrated. To improve, ensure that you provide specific figures from the graph to substantiate your claims, as this is essential for a high-scoring Task 1 response.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organised into logical paragraphs, and there is a clear attempt to use cohesive devices such as 'Overall', 'However', and 'Moving to the rest of information'. However, some transitions are mechanical or slightly awkward, such as 'Moving to the rest of information'. Additionally, there are punctuation errors, such as the sentence fragment 'However. Agriculture sector had lowest number of jobs After 1975.' The referencing is generally clear, but the flow between sentences could be improved by using a wider variety of linking words to connect ideas more naturally.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task, allowing the student to describe trends (e.g., 'surged', 'dropped', 'peak'). However, there is a lack of variety and some minor inaccuracies in word choice and collocation. For instance, 'crossed each other' is not the most natural way to describe intersecting lines on a graph; 'intersected' or 'converged' would be better. There are also some missing articles (e.g., 'Agriculture is only sector') and minor errors in phrasing that limit the range of vocabulary to a basic level.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally distract the reader. Common issues include missing articles ('in 1980 manufacturing sector'), incorrect capitalisation ('Retail and healthcare'), and punctuation errors, such as starting sentences with lowercase letters ('it can be vividly seen'). While the meaning is generally clear, the frequency of these errors prevents the response from reaching a higher band. Focusing on proofreading for basic grammar and punctuation would significantly improve the quality of the writing.

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

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