Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)

The line graph illustrates the data related to job numbers in manufacturing, retail, agriculture and healthcare sectors from 1960 to 2020.

Overall, Healthcare and retail sector jobs are clearly seen to be increased significantly while manufacturing and agriculture experienced a gradual decrease.

In general, manufacturing was at top with 15 million people in 1960 and peaked in 1980 with 20 million before declining to below 15 million in 2020. However, agriculture department started from just above 05 million and gradually decrease to below even 5 million and declined further till 2020.

In contrast, healthcare and retail sectors depicted a surge in jobs starting from nearly bottom from approximately 2 million and around 6 million people respectively and reaching to above 15 million people acquiring jobs in these two departments till 2020.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response covers the main features of the graph, identifying the trends for all four sectors. However, the response is significantly under the 150-word minimum requirement, which limits the depth of the analysis. While the overview is clear, the supporting details are somewhat brief. To improve, you should provide more specific data points from the graph to support your descriptions, such as the exact figures for the start and end years. The under-length nature of the response prevents a higher score, as it fails to fully develop the report as required by the task instructions.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organised into logical paragraphs, with an introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs. The progression of ideas is generally clear, moving from the declining sectors to the growing ones. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat mechanical and limited. For example, the transition 'In general' and 'In contrast' are used, but the internal flow within paragraphs could be improved by using more varied linking phrases to connect the data points more fluidly. Paragraphing is present, but the overall structure feels slightly disjointed due to the brevity of the content.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'illustrates', 'experienced', 'gradual decrease', and 'depicted a surge'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice, such as 'agriculture department' (it is a sector, not a department) and 'at top' (should be 'at the top'). The vocabulary is functional but lacks the precision and variety required for a higher band. To improve, focus on using more sophisticated collocations and avoiding repetitive phrasing when describing trends.

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 'Healthcare and retail sector jobs are clearly seen to be increased' (should be 'have increased'), 'agriculture department started from just above 05 million and gradually decrease' (tense inconsistency), and 'declined further till 2020'. These errors do not impede communication, but they are frequent enough to prevent a higher score. You should focus on maintaining consistent verb tenses when describing past trends and ensuring correct subject-verb agreement.

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

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