Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-08-20

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 graph illustrates data about the ration of employment in four several industries such as Manufacturing, Retail, Agriculture, Healthcare of the economy in the Us between 1960 and 2020. Numbers of jobs measure in millions.

Overall healthcare and retail are the continuously growing sector between 80 years however manufacturing and agriculture had faced decline over the years.

While in 1960 the healthcare was on 2.5 million jobs and every 20 years this sector had create double jobs such as in 1980 5 million, in 2000 10 million and in 2020 15 million furthermore retail followed the same pattern of healthcare in 1960 total jobs were 5 million and in 2020 had stands on 15 million jobs.

On the other hand manufacturing was the highest jobs industry in 1960 total 15 million numbers of job and in 1980 20 millions jobs after that manufacturing faced a decline for next 40 years and in 2020 the total numbers of jobs had 10.5 million. Agriculture was non growing sector over the years in 1960 it was on 6 million and over the next 80 years this sector between 4 to 3 millions total numbers of jobs

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response covers all four sectors and identifies the main trends. However, the overview is slightly inaccurate, as it claims healthcare and retail grew continuously over 80 years, whereas the data provided covers only 60 years (1960-2020). Additionally, the description of the data is sometimes imprecise; for instance, stating that healthcare 'created double jobs' every 20 years is a slight oversimplification of the provided figures. While the main features are highlighted, the analysis lacks a more sophisticated comparison between the sectors, such as noting the point where retail overtook manufacturing.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organised into logical paragraphs, with an introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'On the other hand' and 'furthermore', but they are sometimes used mechanically or with awkward phrasing. The progression of ideas is generally clear, though the transition between sentences within paragraphs can feel a bit disjointed. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the growing sectors from the declining ones, which helps the reader follow the information.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The range of vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks precision. There are several errors in word choice and form, such as 'ration' instead of 'ratio', 'measure' instead of 'measured', and 'non growing' instead of 'stagnant' or 'declining'. The phrase 'had stands on' is grammatically incorrect and reflects a limited control of collocations. While the meaning is generally conveyed, the vocabulary is somewhat repetitive and lacks the sophistication required for a higher band score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede the flow. Examples include 'healthcare and retail are the continuously growing sector' (subject-verb agreement), 'this sector had create double jobs' (incorrect verb tense), and 'the total numbers of jobs had 10.5 million' (incorrect verb usage). Punctuation is also inconsistent, with missing commas and periods in several places. These errors are noticeable throughout the text.

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