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 provide details about the figure of employment in four various section of the economy in the United States between 1960 and 2020.

Overall, it is readily apparent that manufacturing sector had the highest noumber of job opportunity for most of the period. In contrast, in agriculture sector was the least number of employment in 2020.

To commence with, in 1960, manufacturing provided around 15 millions jobs. In 1980 it rose by 5 millions jobs and it decreased with approximately 14 millions jobs till 2020. Retali sector and agriculture sectors provided similar jobs opportunities, which were about 6 millions, after that, retail rose with 10 millions , then it rocketed till 2020, and reached at about 15 million jobs. Moreover, agriculture showed a significant decreased in 1980, it arrived 3 miilion jobs and then it remained stable till 2000 and slightly decline in 2020 with 2.5 million jobs. Furthermore, healthcare sector had the lowest figure, at only 2 million. However, it showed a significant rose till 2020, at 15 million.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The student successfully addresses all parts of the task by reporting the main features and making relevant comparisons across the four economic sectors between 1960 and 2020. An overview is provided, noting that manufacturing had the highest number of jobs for most of the period while agriculture recorded the lowest by 2020. However, there are some minor inaccuracies in reading the specific data points from the chart; for instance, the student states manufacturing decreased 'with approximately 14 millions jobs till 2020' when it actually fell to around 13 million, and retail is said to have reached 'about 15 million jobs' in 2000 (whereas the visual shows 15 in 2000 and 16 in 2020). Despite these minor data-reading discrepancies, the general trends and comparisons are clearly articulated, earning a solid Band 6.5.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The response has a clear overall arrangement and is divided into an introduction, an overview paragraph, and a body paragraph. Logical progression is attempted, but the cohesion inside the main body paragraph is somewhat mechanical and clunky, relying heavily on transitional phrases like 'To commence with' and repetitive use of 'then it...' and 'and then it...'. Paragraphing is used appropriately, though combining the detailed body points into clearer thematic groupings would improve overall flow. Referencing is generally clear, but the lack of varied cohesive devices restricts the score to a Band 6.0.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully using terms related to economic sectors ('manufacturing', 'retail', 'agriculture', 'healthcare') and trend language ('rose', 'decreased', 'remained stable'). However, there are noticeable spelling and word-choice errors throughout the response, such as 'noumber' instead of number, 'section' instead of sector, 'Retali' instead of Retail, and awkward phrasing like 'arrived 3 miilion jobs'. Less common vocabulary is attempted with some inaccuracy (e.g., 'rocketed till 2020'), though communication is never impeded. These errors place the lexical resource firmly at a Band 6.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, such as 'Retali sector and agriculture sectors provided similar jobs opportunities, which were about 6 millions...'. However, grammatical accuracy is inconsistent. There are several structural and prepositional errors, including subject-verb agreement issues ('The line graph provide'), missing articles ('in agriculture sector', 'at only 2 million'), and awkward verb complementation ('decreased with approximately'). Punctuation is generally acceptable, but frequent minor errors in grammar prevent the score from reaching a higher band. Overall, the grammar aligns with a Band 5.5.

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