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 line graph shows how many jobs were 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 increased in retail and healthcare. Job availability in healthcare experienced a substantial growth.

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

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

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response successfully covers all main features of the graph, presenting a clear overview of trends across the four economic sectors. Key data points are reported accurately, such as the peak of manufacturing jobs at 20 million in 1980 and the cross-over points. However, there is a minor contradiction and slight inaccuracy regarding the healthcare sector data at the end of the text, where the student states it reached 'just over 5 million by 2020' after previously noting it doubled to 5 million in 1980 and experienced a 'sharp growth', which visually contradicts the steady or higher trajectory on the chart. Despite this minor misrepresentation, the task is well-addressed with relevant comparisons throughout, satisfying the requirements for a Band 7.0.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The response features a clear overall progression and logical organization. The introduction sets the context, a distinct overview paragraph summarizes the main trends, and subsequent paragraphs group the sectors logically for comparison. Cohesive devices are used reasonably well, such as 'whereas', 'Overall', and 'On the other hand'. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate ideas. However, minor referencing and mechanical issues occur, such as a spacing error before punctuation ('On the other hand ') and slight awkwardness in paragraph transitions. Overall, the logical structure meets the criteria for a Band 7.0.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary used is generally adequate and appropriate for an academic task, with successful attempts at less common items such as 'substantial growth', 'downward trend', and 'overtaken'. There is a clear attempt to use functional synonyms and vocabulary relating to trends. However, there are a few spelling and word-choice errors, notably 'maufacturing' instead of manufacturing, and occasional repetitive phrasing like 'number of job' or 'largest job number'. These errors do not impede communication, placing the vocabulary performance comfortably at a Band 6.5.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The response demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing relative clauses and subordinate structures successfully (e.g., 'The line graph shows how many jobs were available...'). There are frequent error-free sentences, alongside some grammatical errors and awkward phrasing, such as 'where was about 2 million jobs in 1960' and missing pluralization in 'The number of Job'. Punctuation is generally controlled, though there are minor spacing slips. The control over grammar is mostly sound with occasional lapses, fully supporting a Band 6.5 score.

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