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 provides data about the quantity of jobs in 4 fields of the economy in the united states between 1960 and 2020.
Over the period, both retail and healthcare sectors show an upward trend with the approximate same rate, whereas the number of jobs in agriculture seem to decrease steadly. The manufacturing field had the most significant quantity of jobs most of the period before falling slightly.
In 1960, the sector of manufacturing provided 15 million jobs compared to a bit over 5 million ones for both retail and agriculture, and only about 2 milliion for healthcare. In the period of 1960 to 1980, the number of jobs in the sectors of manufacturing, retail and healthcare had grown with the same rate reaching respectively 15 and about 11 million jobs in 2000. And while retail and healthcare kept a parallel increase between 1980 and 2000 the manufacturing jobs fell moderately and the agriculture stayed constant at anout 3 million jobs over that period.
In 2020, most of the jobs belonged to to healthcare and retail field with just ove 15 million jobs.
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 student provides a good overview of the main trends shown in the graph, noting the upward trajectory of the retail and healthcare sectors alongside the decline in agriculture and the dominance of manufacturing. Key features are reported, such as the initial and final employment figures for manufacturing and the other sectors. However, there are some minor inaccuracies in reporting specific data points and trends, such as stating that manufacturing reached about 11 million in 2000 when it was actually falling, and some numbers are slightly vague. Nevertheless, the response covers all parts of the prompt adequately and makes relevant comparisons, fitting the criteria for a Band 6.0.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response is arranged coherently, with an introduction, body paragraphs dealing with general trends and specific data, and a brief concluding sentence. Paragraphing is used, though the body paragraphs could be structured more cleanly. Cohesive devices are employed, but referencing and linking can be somewhat repetitive or mechanical, such as the repeated use of 'In [year]' to start sentences. Additionally, progression is sometimes disjointed between the overview paragraph and the detailed body paragraphs. Overall, the organization is clear enough to be easily followed, supporting a Band 6.0.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting appropriate terms such as 'upward trend', 'parallel increase', and 'fluctuate' (though not used). There are some noticeable lexical errors and awkward collocations, such as 'quantity of jobs' instead of 'number of jobs', 'approximate same rate' instead of 'approximately the same rate', and spelling errors like 'steadly' and 'milliion'. Uncommon lexical items are attempted but with some inaccuracy. Communication is not impeded, placing this response firmly in the Band 6.0 category.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The student uses a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, such as subordinate clauses ('while retail and healthcare kept a parallel increase'). However, there are frequent grammatical errors and punctuation slips throughout the text, including capitalization issues ('united states'), missing articles ('the sector of manufacturing'), and agreement errors ('the agriculture stayed'). Despite these errors, the meaning remains clear and they do not impede communication. The control of grammar corresponds to a Band 6.0.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.