Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-08-31

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 given below provides information about the changes in job sectors in the US economy between the period 1960 to 2020

Overall, healthcare and retail experienced significant growth in job numbers over the 60-year period, whereas employment in agriculture and manufacturing generally declined, despite an initial surge in manufacturing. By 2020, healthcare and retail had crossed manufacturing as the primary employers among the sectors shown.

In 1960, manufacturing was the dominant sector, employing almost 15 million people. This figure climbed steadily to reach a peak of 20 million in 1980 before taking a continuous downward trend over the next four decades, falling to approximately 13 million by 2020.

In contrast, the retail and healthcare sectors displayed substantial upward. Retail jobs grew consistently from 6 million in 1960 to 10 million in 1980, eventually matching the healthcare at 16 million by the end of the period.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response provides a clear overview of the main trends and selects key features for comparison. However, the report is incomplete as it fails to mention the agriculture sector at all, despite it being one of the four sectors shown in the graph. Additionally, the response falls slightly short of the 150-word minimum requirement, which limits the depth of the analysis. While the main trends for manufacturing, retail, and healthcare are identified, the omission of a major data category and the failure to meet the length requirement prevent a higher score.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The response is logically organized with a clear introduction, an overview, and body paragraphs that group information by sector. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the different trends. Cohesive devices such as 'In contrast' and 'whereas' are used effectively to link ideas. However, the transition between the overview and the body paragraphs could be smoother, and the final paragraph ends somewhat abruptly due to the word count constraint. Overall, the flow of information is easy to follow.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally appropriate for an academic report, using terms like 'dominant sector,' 'significant growth,' and 'downward trend.' There are some minor errors, such as 'substantial upward' (which is missing a noun, e.g., 'trend') and 'matching the healthcare' (which should be 'matching the healthcare sector'). While the range is sufficient to convey the main points, the lack of more sophisticated or varied vocabulary prevents a higher band. The errors do not impede communication, but they are noticeable.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as 'By 2020, healthcare and retail had crossed manufacturing as the primary employers.' There are a few grammatical slips, such as the missing preposition in 'between the period 1960 to 2020' (should be 'between 1960 and 2020') and the aforementioned missing noun in 'substantial upward.' Despite these, the majority of sentences are clear and error-free, and the punctuation is generally accurate. The control of grammar is sufficient for the task.

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

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