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 about the number of jobs in four different categories of the economy in the US, [redacted phone].

Overall, it is evident that manufacturing experienced a rise followed by a sharp decrease, whereas retail grew steadily over the period. However, agriculture recorded for a downward trend, the opposite trend was observed for healthcare.

In 1960, manufacturing recorded the highest sector at just 15 million jobs, followed by retail at approximately 6 million jobs, they then increased steadily to well. While manufacturing rose to a peak of marginally at 20 million jobs in 1980, after which they fell sharply, dropping by the end of the period. In stark contrast, agriculture and healthcare experienced opposite trend throughout the period. agriculture started at the lowest point, at about 3 million jobs, but rose gradually throughout the period to reach well over 15 million jobs in 2020. Meanwhile, healthcare figure dramatically declined from roughly 6 million jobs in 1960 to nearly 3 million jobs in 2020.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response successfully covers all main features of the graph, presenting a clear overview and highlighting key trends such as the rise and fall of manufacturing and the steady growth in retail and agriculture. The student makes relevant comparisons between the four economic sectors across the 1960-2020 timeframe. However, there are some inaccurate descriptions of the data, such as stating that healthcare declined from roughly 6 million to nearly 3 million, whereas the graph indicates healthcare actually grew significantly, and mixing up the descriptions of agriculture and healthcare trends in the final paragraph. Despite these data interpretation errors, the overall task is addressed with a clear attempt to summarise the main features, placing the response firmly at Band 5.5 to 6.0.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay has a coherent overall arrangement with a clear introduction, overview paragraph, and body details. Cohesive devices are used to connect ideas, such as 'Overall', 'whereas', 'However', and 'In stark contrast'. However, referencing and cohesion are sometimes faulty, leading to confusion, particularly with pronouns like 'they' in phrases like 'they then increased steadily to well' and 'after which they fell sharply, dropping by the end of the period', where it is unclear whether the reference is to manufacturing or the sectors combined. Paragraphing is generally logical, but the internal flow of sentences occasionally stumbles due to awkward linking and referencing issues, corresponding to a Band 6.0.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully attempting less common items related to trends, such as 'fluctuated', 'steady', 'sharp decrease', and 'downward trend'. However, there are noticeable lexical errors and inappropriate word choices, such as 'recorded for a downward trend' instead of 'recorded a downward trend', 'highest sector' instead of 'sector with the highest number of jobs', and confusing data labels. Spelling is generally accurate, but vocabulary limitations and imprecise collocations occasionally cause slight confusion for the reader, fitting the Band 6.0 criteria well.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The writer uses a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, incorporating relative clauses and subordinating conjunctions such as 'whereas' and 'after which'. However, grammatical accuracy is inconsistent. There are errors such as 'illustrates about the number' (unnecessary preposition), 'agriculture recorded for a downward trend' (incorrect verb structure), and run-on structures like '...jobs, followed by retail at approximately 6 million jobs, they then increased steadily...'. Punctuation errors are also present, such as comma splices. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent the score from reaching Band 6.5, making Band 6.0 an accurate reflection of the grammatical control.

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.