Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-08-26

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 6.0)

The graph presents the number of jobs in multiple areas of the economy in the United States between 60 years; from 1960 to 2020.

Overall, the Manufacturing department has shown the highest number of jobs and the Agriculture departement presented the lowest, as compared to the other sectors.

The Manifacturing sector had 15 million jobs in the year 1960, followed by it rising up to 20 millions in 1980. Then the number decreased to just below 14 million till the year 2020. Moreover, the Retail department had job facilities to just above 5 millions in 1960. The number boosted significantly to 15 millions till the year 2000. After that, it only slightly progressed just above 15 millions in 2020.

Furthermore, the healthcare sector had earning facalities and opportunities around 2 million in the year 1960. The number of earning facalities kept increasing till it reached just above 15 millions in 2020. The Agriculture sector had jobs just above 5 millions which continued to fall and reached around 2 million in the year 2020.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response covers all four sectors and identifies key trends over the period. However, the overview is slightly inaccurate; for instance, the Manufacturing sector does not show the highest number of jobs throughout the entire period, as the Healthcare sector surpasses it by 2020. Additionally, the description of the data is somewhat mechanical, listing figures without fully synthesising the comparisons. To reach a higher band, ensure the overview captures the most significant shifts (such as the decline in Agriculture and Manufacturing versus the growth in Healthcare and Retail) rather than just stating the highest and lowest points.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organised into logical paragraphs, with an introduction, an overview, and body paragraphs focusing on specific sectors. Cohesive devices such as 'Moreover', 'Furthermore', and 'After that' are used to link ideas, although some transitions feel a bit repetitive. The progression of information is generally clear, though the internal structure of the body paragraphs could be improved by grouping sectors with similar trends (e.g., the declining sectors vs. the growing sectors) to create a more cohesive narrative rather than treating each sector in isolation.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks variety and precision. There are several instances of awkward phrasing, such as 'job facilities' and 'earning facalities', which are not standard collocations in this context. Spelling errors like 'departement' and 'Manifacturing' also detract from the overall quality. To improve, focus on using more precise terminology for describing trends, such as 'fluctuated', 'peaked', or 'experienced a downward trend', and ensure accurate spelling of key terms related to the graph.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors. Examples include 'between 60 years; from 1960 to 2020' (incorrect preposition and punctuation) and '20 millions' (pluralisation error). While these errors do not impede communication, they are persistent throughout the text. To achieve a higher score, work on subject-verb agreement, correct pluralisation of numbers, and refining the use of prepositions when describing timeframes and data points.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.