Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-11

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 presents changes in the number of jobs in manufacturing, retail, agriculture and healthcare in the US from 1960 to 2020.

Overall, the number of jobs in healthcare and retail showed a significant increase over the period. While the rate of jobs in manufacturing and agriculture experienced a dip throughout the period.

In 1960, the rates of jobs in healthcare and retail were nearly 2.5 and 6 respectively. The healthcare number rose sharply, reaching approximately 16 in the end of the period and exceedind manufacturing and agriculture. Whereas retail number climbed sharply to 15 in 2000, then increased slightly to about 16 in 2020.

In contrast, the number of agriculture started at about 6, decreased steadily to around 3 in 1990 before a slight decline to about 2 in the end of the period. While the umber of jobs in manufacturing began at 15, increased significantly to 20 in 1980 then experienced a sharp dip to about 13 in 2020.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response covers all four sectors and identifies the main trends, such as the growth in healthcare and the decline in agriculture. However, the overview is slightly flawed; the second sentence is a fragment ('While the rate of jobs in manufacturing and agriculture experienced a dip throughout the period'), which weakens the clarity of the summary. Additionally, some data points are imprecise or lack units, such as '2.5 and 6 respectively', which makes the comparison difficult to follow. To reach a higher band, ensure the overview is a complete sentence and provide clearer, more accurate data reporting throughout the body paragraphs.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is logically organized into an introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'In contrast' and 'Whereas', which help guide the reader. However, the paragraphing is slightly unbalanced, and some transitions feel mechanical. The referencing is occasionally unclear, particularly when referring to 'the number of agriculture' instead of 'the number of jobs in agriculture'. While the progression of ideas is generally clear, the lack of consistent cohesive links between the data points prevents a higher score.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task, with some attempts at descriptive language like 'climbed sharply' and 'decreased steadily'. However, there are noticeable errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'the rate of jobs' (should be 'the number of jobs') and 'the number of agriculture' (should be 'the number of jobs in agriculture'). There are also minor spelling errors like 'exceedind' and 'umber'. The range is sufficient to convey the main points, but the lack of precision in terminology limits the score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are several grammatical errors, such as the sentence fragment in the overview and the misuse of 'exceedind' as a verb form. Subject-verb agreement and preposition usage are occasionally inconsistent, for example, 'in the end of the period' should be 'at the end of the period'. Despite these errors, the grammar does not impede communication, and the writer demonstrates an attempt to use a variety of structures.

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.