Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-13

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 6.5)

The provided chart illustrates the data about different types of jobs, such as manufacturing, retail, agriculture, and healthcare sectors of the economy in the US over 60-year period, starting from 1960 to 2020.

Overall, it is evident that the number of occupations in healthcare and in retail business grew significantly over the period, whereas the manufacturing and agriculture dropped slightly over the same period. Interestingly, the number of jobs in healthcare rose sharply during the period and became the highest by 2020, while it was the lowest in the initial year.

Looking first at healthcare, it stood at approximately 0.25 million in the initial year before increasing dramatically and reaching just over 15 million, making it the highest figure along with retail sector in 2020. Similarly, retail sector accounted for just over 5 million in 1960, similar to that of the number of jobs in agricultural sector. Afterwards, it grew significantly and reached around 16 million in 2020 by overtaking manufacturing.

Turning to the number of occupations in the manufacturing sector, it was considerably the highest category in 1960, which stood at 15 million. It then peaked at 20 million in 1980 before dropping steadily and reached approximately 13 million in 2020. Additionally, agriculture became the lowest in offering jobs . It began at around 6 million in 1960, but then declined and remained only around 0.25 million in 2020.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The student successfully covers all four sectors of the economy across the given time frame (1960-2020). The overview paragraph accurately captures the main trends, noting that healthcare and retail grew significantly while manufacturing and agriculture experienced declines. Key features and comparisons are highlighted well, such as healthcare rising from the lowest to become the highest category alongside retail by 2020, and manufacturing peaking in 1980 before dropping. The figures cited are generally accurate according to the visual data. The response meets the requirements of a well-structured Academic Task 1 summary, demonstrating a clear understanding of the visual information.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The response exhibits clear logical organization and progression throughout. Information is grouped logically by sector across four paragraphs: an introduction, an overview, details on healthcare and retail, and details on manufacturing and agriculture. Cohesive devices such as 'Overall', 'Interestingly', 'Looking first at', 'Similarly', and 'Turning to' are used effectively to guide the reader through the data. Paragraphing is used sufficiently and appropriately, ensuring each paragraph has a distinct focus. Referencing is generally clear, contributing to the overall coherence of the text.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The student demonstrates a sufficient range of vocabulary for the task with some flexibility and precision. Words and phrases such as 'significantly', 'dropped slightly', 'rose sharply', 'dramatically', and 'peaked' are used appropriately to describe trends. Less common lexical items and collocations are attempted with reasonable success, such as 'initial year', 'highest figure', and 'overtaking manufacturing'. There are occasional slight awkwardnesses in phrasing, but overall the vocabulary is more than adequate to convey the intended meaning without impeding communication.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

The response features a good mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating control over grammatical structures. The writer employs relative clauses and introductory participial phrases effectively, such as 'making it the highest figure along with retail sector in 2020' and 'starting from 1960 to 2020'. While there are a few minor grammatical lapses, such as missing articles in places ('similar to that of the number of jobs in agricultural sector' or 'along with retail sector'), the majority of sentences are error-free, and punctuation is well managed. These minor errors do not impede communication.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.