Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · 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 6.0)

The line graph shows how many jobs was available in four economic sectors in the US from 1960 to 2020.

Overall, the number of jobs in manufacturing and agriculture sectors decreased over the period, whereas it was increased in retail and healthcare. Jobs availablility in healthcare experienced a substantial growth.

Jobs numbers in maufacturing sector was the highest between 1960 and until around 2013. There was 15 million offers in 1960 before increasing to reach a peak of 20 million in 1980, followed by steady decline afterwards to approximately 13 million in 2020. A similar downward trend was observed in agriculture sector, in 1960, just over 5 million jobs available in this sector before falling to around 2.5 million in 1980 and remianed around this figure until reached roughly 2 million in 2020, making it the sector with lowest job offers.

On the other hand , the other two sectors witnessed a significant growth in job offers. In1960, retail had just above 5 million similar to agriculture, this figure showed a gradual rise to reach 15 million in 2000. In around 2013, the number of job offers in this sector had overtaken the maufacturing, providing the largest job number by 2020. A similar growth was observed in healthcare, there was about 2 million jobs in 1960, rising steadily double (5 million) in 1980, followed by sharp growth in job avialability unil reached just over 5 million by 2020.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The student successfully covers all parts of the task by reporting the main features and making relevant comparisons across the four economic sectors over the sixty-year period. An overview is provided in the second paragraph, capturing the main trends well. Key data points, such as the peak of manufacturing at 20 million in 1980 and retail overtaking manufacturing around 2013, are accurately cited and contrasted. However, there are minor inaccuracies in reporting specific figures, such as stating that healthcare doubled from 2 million in 1980 rather than 1960, which slightly affects precision. Despite these minor data misreadings, the overall response is fully developed and well-supported, earning a solid Band 7.0 for Task Achievement.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The response features a clear logical organisation with a distinct introduction, overview, and body paragraphs dedicated to contrasting the declining and growing sectors. Cohesive devices are used reasonably well to guide the reader through the data, as seen with transition phrases like 'Overall', 'whereas', and 'On the other hand'. Paragraphing is used appropriately to group related ideas together. However, referencing and cohesion occasionally become slightly mechanical or clumsy, such as 'In around 2013' and punctuation errors like the space before the comma in 'On the other hand ,'. Progression is generally clear throughout, warranting a Band 6.5.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary suitable for an Academic Task 1 response, successfully employing terms related to trends such as 'substantial growth', 'steady decline', 'downward trend', and 'gradual rise'. Less common lexical items are attempted, though with some minor inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'Jobs availablility' and 'Jobs numbers'. Spelling is mostly accurate, though minor slips like 'maufacturing' and 'remianed' occur. The vocabulary is sufficient to convey the information clearly and flexibly, matching the Band 6.0 descriptors.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing relative clauses and time conjunctions. However, there are several grammatical errors and awkward constructions throughout the text, such as 'how many jobs was available' (subject-verb agreement), 'in 1960, just over 5 million jobs available' (missing verb), and 'unil reached' (spelling and missing subject). Punctuation and preposition usage also show persistent minor flaws, such as 'double (5 million)' instead of 'doubling to 5 million'. Because these errors occur frequently alongside complex structures without completely impeding communication, a Band 6.0 is appropriate.

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