Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-08-30

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 line graph illustrates the data of the number of employments in the US in economic sectors namely, manufacturing, retail, agriculture and healthcare during the time period of 1960 and 2020.

Overall, it is clear that manufacturing zone was the highest at the beginning. While agriculture remained the lowest sector by the end of period. In contrast, retail and healthcare division followed the upward trend.

In 1960, the highest number of jobs in economy were represented by manufacturing division stood at 15 percent, it increased steadily to 20% in 1990 and after that continously dropped approximately at 12.5% by 2020.

Meanwhile, the figure for the retail and healthcare sectors were at 6 % and 1% respectively at the start, together following the rising trend and stood at the same point approximately at 16% by 2020. However, agriculture sector declined from 6 percent to 1 percent by the final year 2020.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response covers all four sectors and identifies the main trends. However, the overview is slightly weak; while it mentions the highest and lowest sectors, it misses the significant cross-over point between retail/healthcare and manufacturing. The data reporting is generally accurate, but the description of the manufacturing trend is slightly confusing, stating it 'stood at 15 percent' in 1960 and then 'increased steadily to 20% in 1990', which is a clear summary of the main features. The response meets the requirements of the task by selecting and reporting key information, though more precise comparisons between the sectors would have strengthened the analysis.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized into an introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs. The progression of ideas is clear, moving from the general trends to specific data points. Cohesive devices such as 'In contrast', 'Meanwhile', and 'However' are used to link ideas effectively. However, the paragraphing is a bit mechanical, and some transitions could be smoother. The referencing is generally clear, though the connection between the final sentence about agriculture and the previous paragraph could be improved to ensure a more cohesive flow.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The range of vocabulary is adequate for the task, using terms like 'economic sectors', 'upward trend', and 'declined'. There are some minor inaccuracies in word choice, such as 'manufacturing zone' (should be 'sector') and 'number of employments' (should be 'number of jobs' or 'employment levels'). The student attempts to use specific terminology, but the range is somewhat limited. To reach a higher band, the student should incorporate more varied vocabulary to describe trends, such as 'fluctuated', 'peaked', or 'remained stable', rather than repeating 'increased' or 'declined'.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'manufacturing zone was the highest' (missing 'the'), 'by the end of period' (missing 'the'), and 'the figure for the retail and healthcare sectors were' (subject-verb agreement error: 'figure' is singular). While these errors do not impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score. The punctuation is generally correct, but the sentence structure could be more varied to demonstrate better control over complex grammatical forms.

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.