Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-05

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 6.5)

This graph displays information regarding the number of jobs in four regions of US economy from 1960 to 2020.

Overall, the retail and health care sectors dominate all the other zones. The lowest number of jobs were secured by individuals in Agriculture sector.

There is a clear upward trend in the number of jobs gained by people in retail sector. Starting from 5 million in 1960, peaking to 15 million in 2000 and then steadily rose to slightly above 15 million in 2020. This is followed by health sector, which started with an initial modest numbet of around 2 million in 1960, peaked to slightly above 10 million in 1980 and then sharply rose to above 15 million in 2020.

There is a downward trend in the number of jobs occupied by people in manufacturing sector. It started with a good initial number of 15 million in 1960, peaked to 20 million in 1980 and then fell to above 15 million in 2000, which declined to less than 15 million in 2020. The lowest number of jobs was secured by those in sector of Agriculture. It shows a sharp downward trend. It started with a modest number of above 5 million in 1960 which fell to around 3 million in 1980. This remained constant till 2000 before falling to around 2 million in 2020.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response covers all four sectors and identifies the main trends effectively. You have successfully highlighted the key features, such as the dominance of retail and health care and the decline in agriculture and manufacturing. However, the analysis could be improved by making more direct comparisons between the sectors rather than describing them in isolation. For instance, noting that the health care sector overtook manufacturing by the end of the period would strengthen the response. The overview is clear and provides a good summary of the overall trends, which is essential for a high band score.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The response is logically organized, with a clear introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs focusing on the rising and falling trends respectively. The use of cohesive devices such as 'starting from', 'followed by', and 'this remained constant' helps guide the reader through the data. However, the transition between sentences could be smoother, and some cohesive devices are used in a slightly repetitive manner. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the growing sectors from the declining ones, which aids readability.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You have used a sufficient range of vocabulary to describe trends, such as 'upward trend', 'downward trend', 'peaking', and 'steadily rose'. There are some minor inaccuracies in word choice, such as 'zones' instead of 'sectors' and 'numbet' (a typo). While the vocabulary is adequate for the task, incorporating more precise academic collocations would elevate the response. For example, instead of 'good initial number', using 'a significant starting figure' would be more appropriate for an academic report.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The response demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is always clear, there are several grammatical slips, such as missing articles ('in Agriculture sector', 'in retail sector') and minor prepositional errors. The sentence structure is generally sound, but there is a lack of variety in complex sentence forms. To reach a higher band, focus on ensuring consistent use of articles and experimenting with more sophisticated sentence structures, such as using participle clauses to combine information about trends.

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

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