Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-12

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 graph illustrates the number of jobs in four different sectors of the US, including manufacturing, retail, agriculture, and healthcare, from 1960 to 2020.

Overall, retail and healthcare have experienced a moderate surge in numbers. In contrast, the number of jobs in manufacturing and agriculture has gradually declined over the given period.

In 1960, retail accounted for the second-most-numerous job in the US, but it has increased over the period. It started off from just above 5m and moved up to approximately 10m in 1990, then increased to 15m in 2000, and finally reached the peak of just over 15m, maintaining its second position until the end of the period. Similarly, healthcare was the job with least numbers, with almost 2m of jobs. It has increased to 5m, just over 10m, and just above 15m in 1990,2003, and 2020 respectively, as the most produced job.

In contrast, manufacturing and agriculture have plunged moderately to almost 12m and just below 2m in 2020, respectively. In 1960, manufacturing started with 15m as the largest, peaked at 20m in 1990, and then went down. While, agriculture started as just over 5m and reached its lowest peak at just above 2,in 1990, and finally to just below 2 in 2020.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response successfully addresses all parts of the task by identifying the main trends and making relevant comparisons across the four sectors between 1960 and 2020. The overview effectively captures the general upward trend in retail and healthcare alongside the downward trend in manufacturing and agriculture. Key data points are selected and reported, such as manufacturing peaking at 20m in 1990 and healthcare reaching roughly 15m by 2020. However, there are minor inaccuracies in data reporting; for instance, the writer states that healthcare reached 'just above 15m in 2020, as the most produced job', whereas the graph indicates that retail remained slightly higher or comparable, and the phrasing 'most produced job' is unnatural. Overall, the task is well-handled and covers all required elements.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay displays a clear overall progression and is divided into logical paragraphs, beginning with an introduction, followed by an overview, and then separating the growing sectors from the declining ones. Cohesive devices such as 'In contrast', 'Similarly', and 'then' are generally used effectively to guide the reader through the data. However, referencing and cohesion occasionally become slightly mechanical or clumsy, as seen in phrases like 'the second-most-numerous job' and awkward transitions within sentences. Paragraphing is adequate, but within the body paragraphs, the density of figures makes the logical flow slightly difficult to follow at times. Nevertheless, the organisation remains coherent overall.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting less common lexical items such as 'moderate surge', 'gradually declined', and 'plunged moderately'. However, there are notable instances of imprecise word choice and unnatural collocation, such as 'second-most-numerous job', 'least numbers', and 'most produced job', which detract from the precision expected at higher bands. Spelling is generally accurate, but lexical control is uneven, placing this response firmly in the Band 6 category where vocabulary is sufficient to convey the message despite some inappropriate word choices.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The writer employs a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing relative clauses and time markers successfully. There are several examples of error-free sentences, particularly in the introduction and overview. However, minor grammatical and punctuation errors occur throughout the body paragraphs, such as missing spaces after commas (e.g., '1990,2003') and slightly awkward syntactic phrasing (e.g., 'and finally to just below 2 in 2020' lacking a clear noun head). Despite these slips, the errors do not impede communication, and the grammatical control is sufficient for a Band 6.5 rating.

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