Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-04

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 chart illustrates data about the number of jobs in the US economic sectors during 1960 to 2020.

Overall, the economy of Retail and Healthcare sectors rose rapidly while the Manufacturing and Agriculture industries went downward.

Initially, the retail and agriculture domains had 6 million economic rate. Retail industries showed upward trend and reached at 16 million in 2020 while agriculture economic rate decreased and fell at 2.5 million in 2020 after 20 years.

Moreover, Manufacturing industries economic rate was 15 million in 1960. It increased normally and noted 20 million in 1980. After that, it went down at 17.5 million in 2000 but after 20 years it dropped at 13 million in 2020. In contrast, the economy of healthcare domains rose to 5 million in 1980. It surged again and in 2000 it reached to 11.5 million. In 2020, it matched with the rate of Retail industries economy at 16 million.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response covers all four sectors and identifies the main trends, such as the growth in Retail and Healthcare versus the decline in Agriculture and Manufacturing. However, the reporting of data is occasionally inaccurate or confusing. For example, stating that agriculture 'fell at 2.5 million in 2020 after 20 years' is unclear, and the description of the manufacturing trend is somewhat disjointed. While the key features are highlighted, the analysis lacks a more sophisticated comparison between the sectors, and the use of the term 'economic rate' to describe the number of jobs is imprecise and inaccurate in this context.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The response is organized into logical paragraphs, with an introduction, an overview, and body paragraphs. Cohesive devices such as 'Initially', 'Moreover', and 'In contrast' are used to link ideas. However, the flow within paragraphs is sometimes mechanical, and the referencing is occasionally awkward, such as the transition between the manufacturing and healthcare descriptions. The progression of ideas is generally clear, but the lack of more varied cohesive links makes the writing feel somewhat repetitive. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the different trends.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks precision. The repeated use of 'economic rate' to refer to the number of jobs is a significant lexical error, as it misrepresents the data. Phrases like 'reached at' and 'noted 20 million' are unnatural collocations. While the student attempts to use some descriptive verbs like 'surged' and 'rose', the overall range is limited. To reach a higher band, the student should focus on using more accurate terminology related to data reporting and avoid repetitive phrasing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'reached at 16 million' (should be 'reached 16 million') and 'dropped at 13 million' (should be 'dropped to 13 million'). The use of prepositions is frequently inaccurate. While these errors do not prevent the reader from understanding the main points, they occur with enough frequency to limit the score. The student demonstrates a basic control of tense, but the lack of error-free complex sentences prevents a higher rating.

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.