Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)
The graph illustrates the information about number of jobs in the four sectors of us economy between 1960 and 2020. Overall, employments in manufacturing, healthcare and retail sectors were much higher than agriculture.
In year 1960, manufacturing economy sector accounted for employment was 15 million, which was the far higher than the remaining three sectors, followed by the retail sector which began with 5 million jobs. The agriculture sector accounted for 5 million jobs, apart from that healthcare sector which began with below the 5 million jobs.
In year between 1980 to 2000, the manufacturing sector felt a rise and went up to 20 million but again after some time it decreased and fall from 20 million to above 15 million employments, followed by the retail sector which first rose to 10 million and then went straight up 15 million jobs. The remaining two sectors agriculture went downward from 5 million and healthcare sector went straight up from 5 million to above 10 million.
In year 2020, the three sectors remained close to each other at 15 million but agriculture did not show any rise in employments till now.
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 response successfully covers all parts of the task by reporting the main features and making relevant comparisons across the four economic sectors between 1960 and 2020. The overview effectively highlights that employment in manufacturing, healthcare, and retail was much higher than in agriculture. Key trends, such as the initial dominance of manufacturing and the steady rise in healthcare and retail, are clearly identified. However, there are some minor inaccuracies in citing specific figures from the visual data, and the progression could be slightly more refined. Overall, the content is relevant and fulfills the requirements of an Academic Task 1 response, earning a band score of 6.0.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response is organized into clear paragraphs, providing a logical progression from the introductory summary through specific time periods. Cohesive devices such as 'followed by' and 'remaining two sectors' are used to connect ideas, although some transitions feel slightly mechanical or repetitive, such as 'In year...'. Referencing is generally clear, but the linkage between sentences could be smoother to enhance readability. Paragraphing is handled adequately with an introduction, body paragraphs addressing different periods, and a concluding snapshot. Cohesion is functional, placing this response at a band 6.0.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting less common lexical items related to economic trends, such as 'accounted for', 'decreased', and 'downward'. However, there are noticeable word choice and collocation errors, such as 'manufacturing economy sector', 'felt a rise' instead of 'experienced a rise', and 'fall from 20 million to above 15 million employments'. Spelling is generally acceptable, but lexical inaccuracies restrict the score to a band 5.5, as these errors occasionally detract from precision.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The student uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as relative clauses ('which was the far higher than the remaining three sectors'). However, there are frequent grammatical errors, including missing articles ('in us economy'), incorrect prepositions ('In year 1960', 'In year between'), and awkward verb tenses ('did not show any rise in employments till now'). While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are frequent enough to prevent the response from achieving a higher band. Control over grammar is characteristic of a band 5.5.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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