Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)

The line graph illustrates the information about four different jobs in economic sector manufacturing, retail, agriculture and healthcare in the us between 1960 to 2020.

Overall, manufacturing sector was on top of the chart but after some period of time this value drop-down. In contrast retail and healthcare was lowest in numbers of job but after time pass these number rose in upper trend.

On the one hand, Manufacturing offered 15 millions jobs in 1960 which was the highest number at the beginning and this number increased to 20 millions in next 20 years then there was gradual declined the number of participants in the upcoming years. In 2020 the number of applicants only left at 13 millions. In 1960 in agriculture field was around 5 millions which dropped to 3 millions in 1980 and this numbers stay constant untill 2000 but again lowered to 2 millions in 2020.

On the other hand, At first in 1960 retail and healthcare was at low number of jobs 6 and 3 millions respectively. From 1960 to 1980 both of these sectors jobs almost double to there current positions at 10 and 5 millions respectively. In the upcoming years there number reached at 15 millions in year 2020 and these sectors out performe the best.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response covers all parts of the task well by identifying and comparing the main features of the four economic sectors between 1960 and 2020. The overview successfully captures the main trends, noting the initial dominance and subsequent drop in manufacturing alongside the rising trends in retail and healthcare. Key data points are accurately reported, such as manufacturing starting at 15 million jobs and peaking at 20 million before declining to 13 million. However, there is a minor error in referring to the figures as 'applicants' rather than 'jobs' or 'workers' in places. Overall, the ideas are well supported with relevant data, meeting the requirements of a Band 6.5 or solid Band 6, leaning towards Band 6 due to minor conceptual inaccuracies.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The response has a clear overall arrangement with an introduction, an overview paragraph, and two body paragraphs covering the specific sectors. Cohesive devices are used to structure the text, such as 'Overall', 'On the one hand', and 'On the other hand'. However, referencing and paragraph flow are sometimes mechanical or faulty, as seen in sentences like 'In the upcoming years there number reached at 15 millions in year 2020', where pronoun reference and temporal transitions could be smoother. Paragraphing is present and logically attempted, placing the overview right after the introduction. Progression is generally maintained throughout, placing this at a Band 6 level.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully incorporating terms such as 'illustrates', 'gradual declined', and 'out performe'. However, there are noticeable lexical errors and awkward word choices, such as 'value drop-down' instead of 'dropped', 'participants' or 'applicants' instead of 'jobs' or 'employees', and spelling slips like 'out performe'. Less common vocabulary is attempted with some inaccuracy. While these errors do not impede overall communication, they restrict the lexical score to a Band 5.5 or 6.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response exhibits a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating attempts at subordination and relative clauses. However, there are frequent grammatical errors in tense consistency, prepositions, and singular/plural agreement, such as 'retail and healthcare was lowest' instead of 'were lowest', 'these number rose' instead of 'these numbers rose', and 'to there current positions'. Punctuation is also sparse, with run-on sentences lacking appropriate commas or conjunctions. Despite these errors, the meaning remains clear, fitting the Band 5.5 descriptor well.

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