Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-08-27

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 6.5)

The line graph illustrates the insights on job market numbers, in these given four sectors of economy: Manufacturing, Retail, Agriculture and Healthcare, from 1960 to 2020 in the USA, units measured in millions.

Overall, the Manufacturing sector remained dominant for the first four decades till 2000. However, the Retail and the Healthcare sectors experienced the dramatical surge, and overtook the Manufacturing at the end of given period. In contrast, the Agriculture sector experienced decline from 1960.

The Manufacturing job industry started from 15 million jobs in 1960 and achieved the all time highest rank in 1980, with 20 million jobs. After 1960, the Manufacturing industry experienced decreasing trend and ended up at 13 million jobs in 2020. By contrast, the Retail job sector surged sharply from 6 millions jobs to 16 million jobs and occupied first rank by 2020. Although, the Healthcare started from bottom in 1960 but experienced substantial growth over the decades and acquired the top position with retail sector by 2020.

However, the Agriculture sector declined from 1960, started from 6 million jobs and ended up at 2 million jobs in 2020.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The response effectively identifies the main trends and provides a clear overview of the data. You successfully highlight the dominance of the Manufacturing sector, the growth in Retail and Healthcare, and the decline in Agriculture. The key features are well-selected, and comparisons are made throughout, such as noting that Retail and Healthcare overtook Manufacturing by the end of the period. The data is accurately reported, and the summary is well-structured, meeting all the requirements of the task.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, an overview, and body paragraphs that group the information effectively. Cohesive devices such as 'However', 'In contrast', 'By contrast', and 'Although' are used to link ideas. While the flow is generally smooth, some transitions could be more sophisticated to improve the overall cohesion. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the overview from the detailed analysis, ensuring the reader can follow the progression of the data easily.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate a sufficient range of vocabulary to convey the information clearly. Phrases like 'dramatical surge' (though grammatically incorrect, the intent is clear), 'substantial growth', and 'occupied first rank' show an attempt to use varied language. However, there are some minor inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'dramatical' instead of 'dramatic' and 'job industry' which is slightly redundant. Expanding your range of synonyms for 'increase' and 'decrease' would help elevate your score further.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While there are some grammatical errors, such as 'dramatical surge' and '6 millions jobs' (pluralization error), these do not impede communication. There are also minor issues with article usage, such as 'the Manufacturing sector' versus 'the Retail and the Healthcare sectors'. Despite these occasional slips, the majority of your sentences are clear and error-free, showing a good level of control over basic and some complex structures.

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