Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-08-22

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

Number of jobs in four sectors of the economy in the US, 1960-2020

Student answer (Band 6.0)

The line graph illustrates the data about the number of jobs in Manufacturing, Retail, Agriculture and Health care of the economy in the US between 1960 and 2020. The figure are measured in millions.

Overall, it is clear that both retail and healthcare experienced an upward trend overall, while agriculture witnessed and opposite downward trend where as manufacturing was the most popular job at the begging but the figure fluctuated by the end of the year.

Looking first at, retail the figure substantially increased. By which means from 1960 to 2000 what started from 5 millions it increased gradual up to 15 millions. Furthermore, it slightly went up in 2020 at around 16 millions. Where as, healthcare is preferred by almost 1 millions people in 1960 and continuously rose to 5 millions in 1980 and again slightly rose to around 11 millions in 2020.

Similarly, the Americans did not preferred agriculture as much as the other sectors and the figure was 5 millions in 1960 and gradually decreased to almost 0 millions by the year 2002. Where as, manufacturing was the highest choose job by the citizens starting at 15 millions and went up dramatically to 20 millions in 1980 but than slightly decreased to around 16 millions in 2000 and than again fell sharply around 14 millions by the year 2020.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response6.0
Coherence and Cohesion6.0
Lexical Resource6.0
Grammatical Range and Accuracy5.5
Overall6.0

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

You have successfully identified the main trends for all four sectors. You provided a clear overview and supported your points with data from the graph. However, there are some inaccuracies in your reporting of the figures. For example, you stated that agriculture decreased to 'almost 0 millions' by 2002, whereas the graph shows it remaining at a low but non-zero level. Additionally, your description of manufacturing as the 'most popular job at the begging' is slightly imprecise as it was the highest at the start, but the term 'popular' is better suited for surveys than employment statistics. Ensure you double-check the data points to improve precision.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The response is logically organized into an introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs. You use some cohesive devices such as 'Looking first at', 'Furthermore', and 'Similarly' to guide the reader. However, the use of linking words is sometimes mechanical or slightly awkward, such as 'By which means from 1960 to 2000'. Additionally, there are some issues with referencing, such as 'the end of the year' which is unclear in the context of a multi-decade graph. Improving the variety and natural flow of your transitions would help elevate your score.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'upward trend', 'fluctuated', and 'dramatically'. However, there are several instances of word-choice errors and awkward phrasing, such as 'highest choose job' instead of 'most common occupation' and 'at the begging' instead of 'at the beginning'. These errors do not impede communication, but they do limit the precision of your writing. To achieve a higher band, focus on using more accurate collocations and ensuring that your word forms (e.g., 'preferred' vs 'prefer') are used correctly.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text. Examples include 'The figure are measured' (subject-verb agreement), 'witnessed and opposite' (should be 'an'), 'did not preferred' (incorrect tense after auxiliary), and 'than' used instead of 'then'. While these errors are noticeable, they rarely prevent the reader from understanding your meaning. To improve, focus on basic subject-verb agreement, correct verb tense usage after auxiliary verbs, and proofreading for common spelling errors like 'than/then'.

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

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