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 shows data regarding the number of occupation in four different sectors manufacturing, retail, agriculture and healthcare of the economy in the United States of America from 1960 to 2020.

Overall, it is evident that producing sector was at top but in the end it just below retail and Healthcare sector. The Agriculture department remained at lowest throughout the period.

From 1960 to 2000, Making division stayed on top than other three sectors. It was at 15 million jobs in 1960, it increased steadily about 20 million in 1980, it decreased gradually and reached at 17 million in 2000. Where the marketing and healthcare category rose continuously from 6 to 15 million and 3 to 11 million respectively in these 40 years.

Moreover, agriculture part of economy showed decline in trend, it was 5 million in 1960, 3 million in 1980, it remained stable at 3 million from 1980 to 2000.

Between 2000 and 2020, the manufacturing sector reduced from 17 to 13 million jobs. The retail and healthcare sector grew from 15 and 11 million meet at 16 million jobs. In contrast, the agriculture part minimally change from 3 to 2 million.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The student covers all parts of the task by identifying the main trends and making appropriate comparisons across the four economic sectors between 1960 and 2020. An overview is provided in the second paragraph, capturing the overall shifts such as the decline of manufacturing and the growth of retail and healthcare. Key features are selected and reported, such as manufacturing starting at 15 million in 1960 and peaking around 20 million in 1980 before declining to 13 million. However, some data points contain minor inaccuracies or awkward phrasing (e.g., stating that retail and healthcare 'meet at 16 million jobs' when they show separate trends, or referring to manufacturing as 'Making division'). Overall, the response fulfills the requirements of Task 1 well, earning a band 6.5.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The response is organized into logical paragraphs, beginning with an introduction, followed by an overview, and then breaking down the periods into chronological sections. Cohesive devices are used to structure the information, such as 'Overall, it is evident', 'From 1960 to 2000', 'Moreover', and 'Between 2000 and 2020'. However, some referencing and mechanical cohesion are faulty, such as 'Where the marketing and healthcare category rose' starting with a relative pronoun where a coordinating conjunction or new sentence structure is needed. Additionally, paragraphing choices could be more balanced. Cohesion is sometimes mechanical, placing this criterion solidly at band 6.0.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student demonstrates an adequate vocabulary range for the task, attempting less common economic terms and sector names like 'manufacturing', 'agriculture', and 'healthcare'. However, there are notable limitations and word-choice errors, such as referring to manufacturing as 'producing sector', 'Making division', and 'manufacturing sector', and agriculture as 'Agriculture department' and 'agriculture part of economy'. There are also awkward collocations and phrasing like 'minimal change from 3 to 2 million'. While these inaccuracies do not completely impede communication, they restrict the lexical score to a 5.5, reflecting a mix of adequate attempts and repetitive, imprecise vocabulary.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response employs a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, attempting chronological narrative structures. There are several grammatical errors and punctuation issues throughout the text, such as comma splices ('It was at 15 million jobs in 1960, it increased steadily'), missing prepositions ('reached at 17 million'), and tense consistency errors ('minimal change' instead of minimally changed). Sentences like 'Where the marketing and healthcare category rose continuously' are grammatically incomplete fragments. Despite these errors, the meaning is generally communicated, and there is an attempt at variety, supporting a band 6.0.

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