Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-15

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 graph illustrates the number of jobs in four sectors of the economy in the US, namely Manufacturing, Retail, Agriculture and Healthcare over a sixty-year period between 1960 and 2020.

Overall, the number of jobs in sectors such as Retail, Agriculture and Healthcare showed an upward trend. Retail was the highest employer in the economy in the US. Moreover, the Healthcare sector remained relatively stable despite minor fluctuations.

Looking at the details, in 1960, Manufacturing represented the highest sector at 15 million. It then fell steadily to reach 12 million in 2020. In 1960, Retail had a total of 6 million jobs. It then rose steadily to reach 16 million in 2020. Furthermore, in 1960, Agriculture represented the number of jobs at 6 million and fell steadily to reach 2 million in 2020.

In contrast, in 1960, Healthcare accounted for the number of jobs at 2 million. It then rose steadily to reach 16 million in 2020

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response covers all four sectors and tracks changes between 1960 and 2020. However, there are significant data inaccuracies in the overview and body paragraphs. For instance, the overview incorrectly states that Retail was the highest employer in the economy throughout the period, and that Agriculture showed an upward trend (when the graph clearly shows a steady decline from 6 million to 2 million). Furthermore, Manufacturing peaked at 20 million in 1980 according to the graph, but the student states it reached 15 million in 1960 and fell to 12 million in 2020, missing key intermediate data points and misrepresenting peak values. These errors prevent the task achievement from reaching a higher band, reflecting a partial or inaccurate reporting of main features.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The report has a clear overall structure, opening with an introductory paragraph, followed by an overview paragraph, and then detailed body paragraphs. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate different sectors. Cohesive devices such as 'In contrast', 'Furthermore', and 'It then' are used to connect ideas, although some transitions feel a bit repetitive and mechanical. Logical progression is occasionally disrupted by inaccuracies in the data described, but the underlying organization remains coherent and easy to follow.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary used is generally adequate for the task, incorporating appropriate terms related to economic sectors ('Manufacturing', 'Retail', 'Agriculture', 'Healthcare') and trend language ('upward trend', 'fell steadily', 'rose steadily'). However, the range is somewhat limited and repetitive, with phrases like 'rose steadily' and 'fell steadily' reused multiple times. There are also occasional lexical inaccuracies, such as describing a sector as representing a 'number of jobs' instead of a quantity of employment, but these do not impede communication.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The writer demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing introductory prepositional phrases ('In 1960', 'Looking at the details') and subordinate clauses effectively. Grammatical accuracy is reasonably good with many error-free sentences, though sentence structures lack variety in terms of advanced syntactic forms. Punctuation is generally accurate, and occasional minor errors do not impede the reader's understanding.

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