Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)
The line graph compares the details of number of jobs in four different sectors of the economy in a particular country called united states. These comparision take place between 1960 and 2020.
Overall, Manufacturing sector leads the graph at the beginning. Although it started with greater number of jobs in the year 1960, later the count decreased. And Agriculture sector take place in least postion of the comaparison graph. However it started with providing less number of jobs after all it deacresed and record its lowes count ever from comapring other sectors.
Manufacturing sector provided more jobs from 15 million jobs in 1960 to 20 million jobs in 1980. Then it decreased gradually from 20 million jobs to 12 million jobs. Additionally, In the year 1960 retail sector provided less jobs where the count of jobs is more than 5 million, But after passing decades it reaches to more than three times multiple of 5 million which is huge incriment of overall sectors and also healthcare sector followed the same trend of retail sector. Healthcare sector increased their jobs from 2 million jobs in 1960 to 16 million jobs in 2020. Moreover, Agriculture department followed the opposite trend of bothe retail and healthcare.Whereas, its jobs decreased from 6 million in 1960 to 2 million in 2020.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The candidate successfully addresses all parts of the task by reporting the main features and making relevant comparisons across the four sectors. An overview is provided, noting the dominant position of manufacturing initially and contrasting trends among the categories. However, there are some minor inaccuracies in data reporting; for instance, stating that retail reached 'more than three times multiple of 5 million' is slightly imprecise, and mentioning that manufacturing went down to '12 million' rather than around 13 million. Despite these minor discrepancies, the overall response covers the main trends effectively, meeting the requirements of Band 6.0.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response is organized into clear paragraphs, with an introduction, an overall summary, and body paragraphs detailing specific trends. Cohesive devices are used to connect ideas, such as 'Overall', 'Although', 'Additionally', and 'Moreover'. However, some linking and referencing are mechanical or slightly awkward, such as 'after passing decades it reaches to more than three times' and 'after all it deacresed'. Paragraphing is appropriate, and there is a logical overall progression, placing the response solidly at Band 6.0.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The candidate demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting less common lexical items such as 'decreased gradually', 'opposite trend', and 'sector'. However, there are noticeable spelling and word choice errors throughout the text, including 'comparision', 'postion', 'comaparison', 'deacresed', 'lowes', 'incriment', and 'bothe'. These errors do not seriously impede communication, but they restrict the lexical score to Band 5.5.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The response exhibits a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, such as concessive clauses ('Although it started with greater number of jobs...') and relative descriptions. However, there are frequent grammatical errors and awkward phrasings, including missing articles ('number of jobs', 'united states'), incorrect prepositions or verb forms ('take place in least postion', 'record its lowes count ever'), and tense inconsistencies. While communication remains clear, the density of grammatical slips keeps the score at Band 5.0.
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.