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 graph illustrates the number of jobs in millions in four economic sectors from 1960 to 2020 in the US.

Overall, retail and healthcare sectors had shown a stable increase in number of jobs between 1960 and 2020. In a stark contrast, employment opportunities in manufacturing and agriculture sectors had decreased overall.

In 1960, healthcare provided the least employment opportunities at about 2.5 million jobs per year which increased to almost 16 in 2020. This was the maximum increment among the four. Retail sector which had around 6 million jobs in 1960 experienced considerable growth over next few decades.

Manufactoring sector contributed the most during 20th century. After that, it showed a decline in employment opportunities at about 14 million jobs. Even though there was a net reduction of only 1 million jobs, its ranking changed from first to third. Agriculture sector which had around 5 million jobs in 1960, managed to show a steady decline to only 2.5 million jobs per year which was not even quarter of what other sectors are contributing.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The student provides a clear overview of the main trends shown in the graph, noting the upward trajectory of the retail and healthcare sectors alongside the decline in manufacturing and agriculture. Key features are selected and reported, such as healthcare rising from approximately 2.5 million to nearly 16 million, and general comparisons are made between the four sectors. However, there is a minor inaccuracy in stating that manufacturing contributed the most 'during 20th century' (as it was surpassed later) and a slight misreading of the ending point for agriculture ('only quarter of what other sectors are contributing' is mathematically imprecise given the context). Nonetheless, the response successfully addresses all parts of the task with relevant data points.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The response is arranged logically with an introduction, an overall summary paragraph, and separate body paragraphs detailing the specific sectors. Cohesive devices such as 'Overall', 'In a stark contrast', 'In 1960', and 'Even though' are used to guide the reader through the data. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate general trends from specific figures. However, referencing and transitions are at times slightly mechanical, as seen with 'After that' or 'Retail sector which had...', which lacks an article. Progression is generally clear, though paragraph boundaries could be managed with greater flexibility to achieve a higher band.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary suitable for an academic task describing trends, such as 'stable increase', 'employment opportunities', 'considerable growth', and 'net reduction'. Less common lexical items are attempted, including 'increment', 'stark contrast', and 'trajectory' (implied). There are some noticeable lexical inaccuracies and awkward word choices, such as 'maximum increment' (instead of greatest increase) and the spelling error 'Manufactoring'. Word formation and collocation errors do not impede communication, but they prevent the response from reaching a higher band score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The writer employs a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, incorporating subordinate clauses introduced by 'which' and concession clauses using 'Even though'. Grammatical control is generally adequate, but there are several errors in article usage and prepositions, such as omitting articles ('retail and healthcare sectors', 'Retail sector') and imprecise time markers ('over next few decades'). The past perfect tense used in the second paragraph ('had shown') is also slightly unnatural for simple past graph trends. Despite these recurring minor errors, they rarely impede communication.

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