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 the number of jobs in the four sectors of US economy between 1960 and 2020. Overall, employment in manufacturing, healthcare and retail sectors were much higher than agriculture.

In the year 1960, manufacturing sector accounted for employment figure of 15 million, which was 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 the 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 fell 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 the year 2020, the three sectors remained close to each other at 15 million but agriculture did not show any rise in employment thus far

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response successfully covers all four sectors of the US economy (manufacturing, healthcare, retail, and agriculture) across the given timeframe from 1960 to 2020. The student provides a clear overall trend in the introduction and selects key data points to report, such as the manufacturing sector starting at 15 million in 1960 and the healthcare sector growing significantly. However, there are some inaccuracies and vague descriptions in reporting the specific figures, such as stating 'healthcare sector which began with below the 5 million jobs' and describing the final data point somewhat vaguely as 'the three sectors remained close to each other at 15 million'. While comparisons are made, the development of the data could be more precise to reach a higher band. Overall, the task is addressed adequately, fitting the criteria for a Band 6.0.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The text is arranged with a recognizable overall progression, starting with an introductory overview followed by body paragraphs dedicated to specific time periods. Paragraphing is utilized, though the structural division could be improved. Cohesive devices are employed, such as 'Overall', 'In the year 1960', and 'In the year 2020', which help guide the reader through the data. However, referencing and transitions are at times mechanical or slightly awkward, such as 'apart from that healthcare sector which began with below the 5 million jobs' and 'the remaining two sectors agriculture went downward'. These minor lapses in cohesion and slightly clumsy sentence connections place this response firmly within the Band 6.0 category.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student demonstrates an adequate vocabulary range for the task, successfully using terms related to economic sectors and employment, such as 'manufacturing sector', 'retail sector', 'employment figure', and 'agriculture'. There are several attempts to use less common vocabulary and directional verbs, such as 'accounted for', 'felt a rise' (intended as 'experienced a rise'), and 'went downward'. However, there are notable word choice and collocation inaccuracies throughout the response, such as 'felt a rise' instead of 'saw a rise', and '15 million employments' instead of '15 million employees' or '15 million jobs'. These lexical errors do not prevent comprehension, supporting a Band 6.0 score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, incorporating relative clauses and subordinate clauses (e.g., 'which was far higher than the remaining three sectors', 'which first rose to 10 million'). However, grammatical accuracy is inconsistent. There are several errors, including missing prepositions or articles ('below the 5 million jobs', 'in the year between 1980 to 2000'), awkward verb choices ('the manufacturing sector felt a rise'), and run-on structures. Despite these errors, the meaning is generally clear and communication is rarely impeded. This mix of structures and error frequency aligns well with the Band 6.0 descriptors.

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

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