Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-08-19
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 elucidates the number of jobs in US between 1960 and 2020 in four sectors of the economy like manufacturing, retail , agriculture and healthcare.
Overall, it is evident that healthcare had shown the drastic increase in jobs as compared to jobs in agriculture which showed the least number of jobs in US.
In detail, the number of jobs in manufacturing started from 15 millions job in 1960 which increased in 1980 to 20 millions showed gradual decrease in number to around 12 millions in 2020. whereas, jobs in retail started around 5 millions and showed moderate increase in 2020 to 15 millions jobs.
However, jobs in healthcare started around 0 in 1960 and showed dramatic increase in number of job by 15 millions in 2020. while, Jobs in agriculture started from 5 millions in 1960 showed gradual decrease in number of jobs around 0 in 2020. It showed the most fluctuation among all the job sectors.
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 covers all four sectors and identifies the main trends, such as the growth in healthcare and the decline in agriculture. However, the overview is slightly weak; while it mentions the increase in healthcare and the low level of agriculture, it fails to highlight the significant shift in manufacturing or the overall contrast between the sectors. Some data points are imprecise, such as stating healthcare started at 'around 0' when the graph shows a clear starting value, and the description of agriculture as having the 'most fluctuation' is inaccurate, as manufacturing shows more volatility. The report is sufficient but lacks the analytical depth required for a higher band.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response is organised into logical paragraphs, with an introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'overall', 'in detail', 'whereas', and 'however'. However, the use of these devices is sometimes mechanical or slightly awkward, such as starting sentences with 'while' or 'whereas' in a way that creates fragments. The progression of ideas is generally clear, but the connection between sentences could be smoother to improve the flow of the report. Paragraphing is present but the internal structure of the body paragraphs could be more cohesive.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is adequate for the task, allowing the writer to describe trends (e.g., 'gradual decrease', 'dramatic increase', 'moderate increase'). However, there is a lack of variety and some inaccuracies in word choice, such as 'elucidates' which is slightly misused in this context, and the repetitive use of 'number of jobs'. The range is sufficient to convey the main points, but it does not demonstrate the flexibility or precision required for higher bands. Spelling is generally accurate, but the phrasing is somewhat simplistic and lacks sophisticated collocations.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, particularly with articles (e.g., 'in US' instead of 'in the US') and pluralisation (e.g., '15 millions job'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, with unnecessary spaces before commas and some sentence fragments, such as 'while, Jobs in agriculture...'. While these errors do not prevent the reader from understanding the information, they occur frequently enough to limit the score. A greater focus on subject-verb agreement and correct article usage would significantly improve the accuracy of the writing.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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