Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · 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 6.5)

The line chart talks about the number of employment opportunities created in the US from 1960 to 2020. The graph tallies four major sectors, manufacturing, retail, agriculture, and healthcare.

Overall, it can be observed that the healthcare sector started from the lowest point amongst all the four sectors, but eventually emerged as one of the strongest by the end.

The manufacturing sector started with a lead in 1960 with 15 million jobs. It then reached it's peak at 20 millions in 1980, before it started dropping 2000 onwards. Additionally, agriculture sector also witnessed a marginal decline overall. It began with just over 5 million jobs in 1960, but experienced a dip with nearly 3.5 million opportunities, which stayed constant for the next four decades. It then bottomed out at roughly 2.5 millions towards the end.

On the other hand, healthcare and retail industry followed a similar upward trajectory. Healthcare had the lowest proportion of around 2.5 millions in 1960, which drastically increased to approximately 10.5 millions from 5 millions between 1980 to 2000. Concurrently, the retail sector recorded a growth from around 5.5 millions to 15 million from 1960 to 2000. Finally, both healthcare and retail sector marked just over 15 millions at the end, in the year 2020.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response effectively identifies the main trends and makes relevant comparisons between the four sectors. You have successfully highlighted the contrasting trajectories of the manufacturing/agriculture sectors versus the healthcare/retail sectors. The overview is clear and captures the significant shifts over the 60-year period. To reach a higher band, ensure that all data points are accurately represented; for instance, the description of the healthcare sector's growth between 1980 and 2000 is slightly confusing in its phrasing. Overall, the response covers all requirements of the task well.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs that group the sectors by their performance trends. Cohesive devices such as 'Overall', 'Additionally', and 'On the other hand' are used effectively to guide the reader. Paragraphing is appropriate, and there is a clear progression of ideas throughout the text. The flow is natural, and the relationship between the different sectors is well-managed, making the information easy to follow.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

You demonstrate a sufficient range of vocabulary to convey the information with precision. Phrases like 'upward trajectory', 'marginal decline', and 'bottomed out' are used appropriately in the context of describing trends. There are occasional minor inaccuracies, such as 'tallies' (which is not the best fit for describing a graph) and the pluralization of 'millions' when used with a specific number (e.g., '15 millions' should be '15 million'). However, these do not impede communication and you show a good awareness of academic style.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While there is good control, there are some recurring grammatical slips, such as the misuse of the possessive 'it's' instead of 'its' and the aforementioned issue with pluralizing 'million' after a number. Additionally, there are minor errors in preposition use and article placement (e.g., 'agriculture sector' should be 'the agriculture sector'). Despite these, the majority of your sentences are error-free, and the meaning is always clear, which is consistent with a solid band 6.5 or 7.0 performance.

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

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