Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-02

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 5.5)

The given line chart illustrates and compares the number of jobs in four different sectors (manufacturing, Retail, Healthcare, and Agricultire) in US from [redacted phone]

Overall, the number of jobs in healthcare and retail increased significantly over 60 year period .In contrast the employment in agriculture has decreased ,while manufacturing showed a fluctuating trend but end lower than its peak

In 1960, manufacturing was the highest sector with 15 million jobs. this number rose to its peak of 20 million in 1980,but then fell steadily to around 113 million by 2020. Meanwhile retail started about 6 million jobs in 1960 and grow consistently every year and reaching 17 million jobs at the end of the year .

Regarding with, the health care saw the fastest growth ,it started with only 1 million jobs in 1960 but grow rapidly around 15 million jobs in 2020. conversely the agriculture jobs fell from around 6 million in 1960 and nearly 3 million in 1980 and remained the lowest sector ending at about 2 million in 2020.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

You have successfully identified the main trends and provided a clear overview of the data. You covered all four sectors and made relevant comparisons, such as contrasting the growth in healthcare with the decline in agriculture. However, there is a significant data error: you stated that manufacturing fell to '113 million' by 2020, which is a misreading of the graph (it is clearly around 13 million). Additionally, the phrase 'at the end of the year' is inaccurate as the graph covers a 60-year period. To reach a higher band, ensure that data points are transcribed accurately and that time references are precise.

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 'In contrast', 'Meanwhile', and 'conversely' to link ideas. However, the flow is occasionally hindered by mechanical errors and punctuation issues, such as the missing space after periods and the awkward phrasing 'Regarding with'. Paragraphing is used appropriately, but the transition between sentences could be smoother to improve the overall progression of information.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'fluctuating', 'consistently', and 'rapidly'. However, there are several spelling errors, such as 'Agricultire' and 'health care' (which should be one word). Some word choices are slightly imprecise, such as 'highest sector' (a sector cannot be high; the number of jobs in the sector can be high). To improve, focus on accurate spelling and using more precise collocations related to data description.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You attempt a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with verb tenses and subject-verb agreement, such as 'retail started about 6 million jobs' (missing 'with') and 'grow consistently' (should be 'grew'). Punctuation is inconsistent, with several missing spaces after full stops. These errors do not impede communication, but they do limit the score as they indicate a lack of control over complex structures.

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