Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)

THE GIVEN LINE GRAPH ILLUSTRATES THE NUMBER OF JOBS IN FOUR DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS OF THE ECONOMY IN THE US FROM 1960 TO 2020.

OVERALL, THE HEALTHCARE SECTOR INCREASED RAPIDLY OVER THE PERIOD. IN CONTRAST, THE AGRICULTURE DEPARTMENT FELL SIGNIFICANTLY DURING THE TIME PERIOD.WHEREAS, THE MANUFACTURING GROUP FOLLOWED A FLUCTUATING PATTERN AS COMPARED TO THE OTHER SECTORS.

INITIALLY, THE MANUFACTURING ECONOMY IS ONE OF THE ECONOMIES THAT INCREASED GRADUALLY. IN 1960, IT STARTED AT APPROXIMATELY 3 MILLION AND ROSE BY AROUND 11. AFTER THAT, IT HAD A DRASTIC CHANGE TO AROUND 16 MILLION. SIMILARLY, AT THE BEGINNING, RETAIL STARTED AT 5 AND STEADILY INCREASED BY 10, 15 AND 16 MILLION, RESPECTIVELY.

AS PER THE CHART, MANUFACTURING FOLLOWED A DIFFERENT PATTERN FROM THE REST OF THE DEPARTMENTS. AT THE START OF THE YEAR, IT ROSE BY 20 MILLION; AFTER THAT, IT DECLINED BY NEARLY 13 MILLION. ON THE OTHER HAND, AGRICULTURE CONSIDERABLY DROPPED THROUGHOUT THE PERIOD, FROM 5 MILLION TO APPROXIMATELY 3 MILLION IN 2020.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response covers all parts of the task well by identifying the main trends and making relevant comparisons across the four economic sectors. The overview correctly highlights the rapid increase in healthcare and the significant fall in agriculture. However, some data points are inaccurate or poorly described when compared to a standard interpretation of the prompt's visual data, such as confusing the scales or describing trends inconsistently. For instance, the transition from 'rose by around 11' to 'around 16 million' lacks precision, and referring to 'departments' instead of economic sectors is slightly imprecise. Overall, the main features are presented, but greater accuracy in reporting data and clearer selection of key highlights would elevate this to a higher band score.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The response is organized into logical paragraphs, beginning with an introduction, followed by an overall summary, and two body paragraphs detailing specific trends. Cohesive devices are used to signal shifts, such as 'OVERALL', 'IN CONTRAST', 'WHEREAS', and 'INITIALLY'. However, some of the linking is awkward or mechanically applied, particularly the sentence fragment starting with 'WHEREAS, THE MANUFACTURING GROUP...', which disrupts the flow between sentences. Additionally, paragraph referencing and grouping of data could be more logically structured to ensure smoother progression throughout the text. Overall paragraphing is present, but mechanical errors in cohesion limit the score.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully attempting topic-specific terms like 'economic sectors', 'healthcare sector', 'manufacturing group', and 'fluctuating pattern'. However, there is a reliance on basic descriptive verbs and occasional inappropriate word choices, such as referring to economic sectors as 'departments' or describing numerical increases with imprecise language. Spelling is generally accurate, but the overall lexical range lacks the flexibility and precision needed for higher bands. Vocabulary choices are functional and communicate the intended meaning, but do not consistently demonstrate sophisticated control.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing structures such as introductory prepositional phrases and comparative clauses (e.g., 'as compared to the other sectors'). There are several grammatical errors and awkward phrasings, such as 'THE MANUFACTURING ECONOMY IS ONE OF THE ECONOMIES THAT INCREASED GRADUALLY' (tense inconsistency) and 'AT THE START OF THE YEAR' (inaccurate temporal reference for a multi-decade graph). Punctuation is also faulty in places, notably with capitalization used for entire sentences and awkward punctuation around transitional words. While these errors do not severely impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent the writing from reaching a higher band.

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

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