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 given line chart gives information about the number of jobs in four sectors of the economy in the US between 1960 and 2020. It compares manufacturing, retail, agriculture and healthcare across different year. At a glance, the manufacturing sector was reached high of 20 million jobs in 1980, and agriculture sector was dipped in 2020.

The graph significantly fluctuated in 1980. Till 2000, manufacturing industry stood to have most jobs as compared to other industry. Healthcare and retail sectors rose uniformly over period of years. Agriculture sector declined rapidly from 1960 to 2020 with a steady period from 1980 to 2000.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response fails to meet the minimum word count requirement of 150 words, which significantly impacts the score. Because the response is only 102 words, the analysis is underdeveloped and lacks the necessary detail to fully report the main features of the graph. While you have identified some trends, such as the decline in agriculture and the growth in healthcare, the lack of sufficient data points and comparative analysis means the task is only partially addressed. To improve, you must expand your description by including more specific data points from the graph and providing a more comprehensive overview of the trends across the entire 60-year period.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The response is organized into two short paragraphs, which is a basic structure. However, the progression of ideas is somewhat disjointed. While there is an attempt to use cohesive devices like 'At a glance' and 'Till 2000', the transitions between sentences are mechanical and sometimes confusing. The lack of length prevents the development of a logical flow that would allow for a more sophisticated use of linking words. To improve, ensure that each paragraph has a clear focus and use a wider variety of cohesive devices to connect your observations more fluidly.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task but remains quite basic and repetitive. Phrases like 'rose uniformly' and 'dipped' are used correctly, but there is a lack of more sophisticated or precise vocabulary related to data description. There are also some minor errors in word choice, such as 'across different year' (should be 'years') and 'manufacturing industry stood to have most jobs' (which is slightly unnatural). To reach a higher band, try to incorporate more varied synonyms for 'increase' and 'decrease' and use more precise collocations when describing trends.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response contains a mix of simple and some attempted complex structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede the flow. For example, 'the manufacturing sector was reached high' is grammatically incorrect (should be 'reached a high'). Additionally, 'as compared to other industry' lacks the necessary pluralization. The sentence structure is generally simple, and there is a lack of variety in complex sentence forms. To improve, focus on subject-verb agreement and the correct use of articles and prepositions, and practice combining simple sentences into more complex, error-free structures.

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

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