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 multi-line graph illustrates the number of jobs in manufacturing, retail, agriculture and healthcare sectors in the US economy from 1960 to 2020.
Overall, manufacturing employment declined, despite having the highest number of jobs in the start of period. Retail experienced gradual growth likewise in healthcare. The lowest number of jobs can be seen in the agriculture department with the constant figures.
In 1960, 15 millions jobs was introduced that was the highest number of jobs for this year. In 1980 the figure climbed considerable hit at the peak at 20 millions. After that, the figures declined gradually and marked at roughly 14 millions. Agriculture, meanwhile, started with 6 millions in 1960 that went down at 4 million in 1980. From 1980 to 2020 the figures remain stable and recorded as the least number of jobs at 1 million.
Healthcare centre was rose rapidly. Initially had the lowest number of jobs roughly 1 million that surged significantly reaching at 16 millions in 2020. Retail sector also followed same pattern as healthcare from 6 millions figures climbed rapidly up to to 16 million in 2020.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0
The response successfully covers all main features of the graph, presenting a clear overview and appropriate comparisons between the four economic sectors. The student accurately highlights manufacturing as starting at the highest point and declining, retail and healthcare showing significant upward trends, and agriculture remaining stable at the lowest level. Key data points are selected and reported, such as manufacturing peaking at 20 million and healthcare and retail reaching 16 million by 2020. While some data points contain minor inaccuracies regarding exact figures, the overall reporting successfully addresses all parts of the task. The response is well-supported with relevant statistics from the visual prompt, satisfying the requirements for this criterion.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response is organized into four logical paragraphs, including a brief introduction, an overview, and separate body paragraphs dedicated to different sectors. Ideas are generally sequenced in a clear progression. However, cohesive devices are sometimes mechanical or lacking, and referencing can feel abrupt, as seen in transitions like 'Healthcare centre was rose rapidly.' Paragraphing is used sufficiently to structure the information, but the overall flow between sentences and paragraphs could be smoother to achieve a higher band score.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, attempting some less common items such as 'fluctuation' concepts, 'gradual growth', and 'stable'. However, there are notable vocabulary and collocation errors, such as 'agriculture department' instead of 'sector', 'healthcare centre was rose', and awkward phrasing like 'the start of period'. Spelling and word choice are generally sufficient to allow the reader to understand the intended message, but inaccuracies prevent the lexical range from reaching higher bands.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, but grammatical control is inconsistent. There are several noticeable errors in tense, preposition usage, and verb forms, such as '15 millions jobs was introduced', 'climbed considerable hit at the peak', 'went down at 4 million', and 'Healthcare centre was rose rapidly'. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they occur frequently enough to impact the overall accuracy of the writing.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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