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)
This chart illustrates about the job opportunities in several sectors of US economy from the past six decades.
Overall, the employment ratio seems to be showing an upward trend in the retail and healthcare sectors. Whereas the agriculture and manufacturing sectors have not had a great time thereby showing unsatisfactory results.
Surprisingly, the retail sector has produced more job over the six decades growing from 5 million jobs to about 16 million job in the year 2020. Subsequently, healthcare has shown tremendous results over the years and has grown from 2.5 million job in 1960 to almost about 16 million jobs in 2020 and this is because nowadays people are very concerned about their health which makes this industry growing.
On the other hand, the agriculture side has had a downfall in creating jobs over the year as the graph shows a continous downside trend making it the most affected sector in terms of job creation. The manufacturing sector had the most jobs in 1960 and 1980 compared to the others sectors but eventually the jobs sector saw a downfall resulting in only 13 million jobs in 2020 compared to 20 million in 1980.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 6.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 6.0 |
| Overall | 6.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0
The student successfully addresses the main features of the graph, selecting and reporting key data points across the four economic sectors in the US between 1960 and 2020. The overview effectively highlights the upward trend in retail and healthcare alongside the decline in agriculture and manufacturing. However, there are some minor inaccuracies in data reporting and unnecessary personal commentary, such as explaining that healthcare grew because 'people are very concerned about their health.' This goes beyond objective data reporting required in Academic Task 1. Despite this slight digression, the core response covers all parts of the prompt well, earning a band score of 6.5.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The report demonstrates a clear overall progression, dividing the response into a logical introduction, an overview paragraph, and two body paragraphs detailing the specific sectors. Paragraphing is used appropriately to group contrasting trends. Cohesive devices such as 'Overall', 'Surprisingly', 'On the other hand', and 'Subsequently' are employed to guide the reader through the data. However, referencing is occasionally repetitive, and some cohesive links are used a bit mechanically. Nevertheless, the logical organization is clear throughout, warranting a band 6.5 for coherence and cohesion.
Lexical Resource — Band 6.0
The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully incorporating terms such as 'employment ratio', 'upward trend', 'downfall', and 'sector'. There are, however, some lexical inaccuracies and collocation issues, such as 'produced more job' (instead of jobs), 'job in the year' (plural needed), and 'agriculture side' (instead of agricultural sector). While the student attempts less common vocabulary, these occasional errors in word choice and pluralization keep the lexical score at a solid band 6.0.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0
The student uses a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, with examples of subordinate clauses ('as the graph shows a continous downside trend'). Control over grammar is generally acceptable, allowing the message to be communicated clearly despite several errors. Notable mistakes include superfluous phrasing ('This chart illustrates about'), missing plural endings ('16 million job'), and minor spelling slips ('continous'). Complex structures are attempted with varying degrees of success. Because errors are present but rarely impede communication, a band 6.0 is awarded.
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