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 line graph illustrates the number of jobs in four sectors of the economy in the US between 1960 and 2020.
Overall, the retail and healthcare remained the most popular jobs throughout the period, whereas agriculture experienced a marked decline. By contrast, healthcare recorded the most substantial growth, while retail also gained popularity.
In 1960, 15 jobs in millions were present at manufacturing, compared with 7 for retail, 7 for agriculture and 3 for healthcare. Over the following period, manufacturing performance arrived at 20 before felling to 13 in 2020. Similarly, healthcare fluctuated moderately ending at about 70 jobs in millions.
Notably, healthcare jobs rose steadily from 2 jobs in millions in 1960 to 5 in 1980 before climbing sharply to 11 in 2000 and 15 in 2020. In contrast, agriculture felt from 6 jobs in millions in 1960 to just 2 by 2020. Finally, healthcare performances increased from 2 to 15 jobs in millions over the period.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The student covers all four sectors shown in the graph and attempts to report the main features and comparisons. However, there are significant factual and numerical confusions in the body paragraphs that undermine the accuracy of the report. For instance, the text claims that 'retail and healthcare remained the most popular jobs throughout the period' and later mentions 'healthcare jobs rose steadily... while agriculture felt... Finally, healthcare performances increased'. This creates confusion regarding the specific sectors (interchanging healthcare and retail or manufacturing at times). While an overview is provided, the data reporting contains inaccuracies relative to standard graph interpretation, which places this response in Band 5.5.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response is structured with an introduction, an overview, and body paragraphs, showing an attempt at logical organization. Cohesive devices such as 'Overall', 'By contrast', 'In 1960', and 'Notably' are employed to guide the reader through the text. However, paragraphing is somewhat basic and the internal cohesion of the body paragraphs is occasionally disrupted by confusing data points and repetitive phrases, such as the redundant mention of healthcare increases at the end of the text. Overall, the arrangement is coherent enough to follow the general trend, earning a Band 6.0.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The student demonstrates an adequate vocabulary for the task, successfully using terms such as 'illustrates', 'substantial growth', 'fluctuated moderately', and 'climbing sharply'. However, there are notable lexical inaccuracies and awkward word choices, such as '15 jobs in millions were present at manufacturing', 'performance arrived at 20 before felling', and 'healthcare performances increased'. Spelling errors like 'felling' (falling) and 'felt' (fell) also occur. Despite these slips, the vocabulary is minimally sufficient to convey the general message, fitting the Band 5.5 descriptor.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, utilizing introductory prepositional phrases and comparative clauses. However, grammatical accuracy is inconsistent. There are several errors in verb tense, form, and preposition usage, such as 'were present at manufacturing' instead of 'in manufacturing', 'performance arrived at 20 before felling', and 'agriculture felt' instead of 'fell'. While these errors do not completely obscure the meaning, their frequency prevents the response from reaching a higher band, placing it firmly at Band 5.5.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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