Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · 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 6.0)

The multi-line graphs depict the information for the various job categories such as Manufacturing, retail, Agriculture and Healthcare took part in the US economy from 1960 to 2020. The data are given in millions.

Overall, it can be seen that the highest number of jobs was in the manufacturing sector. Conversely, the lowest share of jobs was in the agriculture category.

To begin with, in 1960 the manufacturing sector held the jobs in the US economy approximately at 15 million. There was a sharply increase around 20 million after two decades. It was the maximum number of jobs recorded under the manufacturing sector in the US economy. After that, the jobs under the manufacturing category decreased rapidly in the year 2020. Moreover, only 3 million of jobs accounted for the healthcare sector in 1960. The figure slightly rose during the year 1980. Then after, it gradually went up above 15 million in 2020.

Moving to the rest of the details, in 1960 the retail and agriculture categories accounted for the jobs under the US economy at 6 million. It was almost the same share of the jobs sector in the US. However, the retail category jobs increased suddenly to 15 million during the year 2000. While in 1980 the agriculture sector jobs slightly decreased below 5 million. Afterwards, it was remain same the during the year 2000 and then mildly went down at 2 million in 2000. It was the minimum share of jobs recorded under the agriculture category in the US economy. However, the retail sector slowly rose above 15 million in 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; while manufacturing was high, it was not the highest throughout the entire period, as healthcare surpassed it by 2020. Additionally, some data points are misreported, such as the claim that agriculture and retail both started at 6 million in 1960, which is not supported by the graph. The summary of trends is generally clear, but the precision of the data reporting needs improvement to reach a higher band.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized into paragraphs, with an introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs. Cohesive devices such as 'To begin with', 'Moving to the rest of the details', and 'Conversely' are used to guide the reader. However, some transitions are slightly mechanical or awkward, such as 'Then after' and 'Afterwards, it was remain same'. While the progression of ideas is clear, the use of cohesive devices could be more natural and varied to improve the flow between sentences.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The range of vocabulary is adequate for the task, using terms like 'categories', 'accounted for', and 'fluctuated' (though the latter was not used, similar descriptive verbs were attempted). There are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'sharply increase' (should be 'sharp increase') and 'mildly went down'. The vocabulary is sufficient to convey the main points, but it lacks the precision and flexibility required for a higher band score. The repetition of 'jobs' and 'sector' also limits the lexical variety.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The student uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, including 'There was a sharply increase', 'it was remain same', and 'the jobs under the manufacturing category decreased rapidly in the year 2020' (where the prepositional usage is slightly off). While these errors do not impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score. The control of verb tenses is generally consistent, but the sentence construction often feels slightly rigid or ungrammatical in places.

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

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