Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-14

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 chart illustrates the evidences about the number od employments in four domains of economy in the US from 1960 to 2020.

Overall, manufacturing was the leading sector at the begining which climbed for sometime the decreased streadily. Healthcare and retail showed almost same trend. Nevertheless, agriculture failed to show any upward direction.

Looking at the chart, manufacturing started with 15% in 1960 and reached the top value of 20% in 1980. Subsequently it dropped to 16% by 2020. On the other hand, retail and agriculture, both commenced at the same point of almost 6% but moved in opposite direction over the period. Retail depicted the continuous up trend and culminated at above 15% by the end of 2020.

Contray to this, agriculture declined to less than 5% in two decades. It leveled off for next twenty years and again plumbed gradually to 2% by the end of duration. However, starting from 2% healthcare surged steadily to the top of the chart joining retail at 16% by the end of second decade of 21st century.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The student successfully identifies and reports the main features of the line chart covering the four economic sectors between 1960 and 2020. An appropriate overview is provided in the second paragraph, capturing the general trajectories such as manufacturing starting highest and then decreasing, while healthcare and retail showed an upward trend. Key data points are cited to support the descriptions, such as manufacturing starting with 15% in 1960 and reaching 20% in 1980, and retail culminating above 15%. However, there are some minor inaccuracies or omissions in reporting specific figures for certain sectors (for example, misinterpreting the starting or ending points slightly), but overall, the task is adequately addressed with clear comparisons and relevant features selected.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The response features a coherent overall arrangement with clear logical organisation. The text is divided into logical paragraphs: an introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs detailing specific trends. Cohesive devices are used to guide the reader through the data, such as "On the other hand", "Contray to this", and "Subsequently". While paragraphing is used appropriately and referencing is generally clear, the use of cohesive devices occasionally feels slightly mechanical, and typographical errors like "Contray" slightly disrupt the flow. Nonetheless, there is a clear progression of ideas from the introduction through the overview to the detailed body paragraphs.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully attempting less common items related to economic sectors and trends, such as "culminated", "surged steadily", and "plumbed" (likely intended to mean plunged). However, there are noticeable lexical errors, awkward word choices, and spelling mistakes throughout the text, such as "evidences" (evidence is uncountable), "od" (of), "begining" (beginning), "streadily" (steadily), and "Contray" (Contrary). These errors show an adequate resource for completing the task, but the inaccuracies restrict the band score because they occasionally require the reader to interpret the intended meaning.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response displays a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating attempts at varied structures such as relative or participial clauses ("joining retail at 16% by the end of second decade"). There are several grammatical errors and awkward phrasing choices, such as missing articles ("at the begining"), incorrect prepositions or verbs ("climbed for sometime the decreased streadily"), and spelling-induced errors. Punctuation is generally acceptable, and while errors are present, they rarely impede communication entirely. The control over grammar is sufficient for a band 6.0, as simple sentences are generally accurate while complex structures contain frequent minor flaws.

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