Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-16

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 US economy in 1960 to 2020.Units are measured in millions

Overall, both retail and healthcare experienced a substantial increased over time while agriculture saw a marked decline. Meanwhile,manufacturing was the highest number of jobs at the beginning but decline steadily throughout the period.

In terms of upward trend, there was around 5.5 million of jobs in retail sector in 1960 then increased to 10 million in 1980 and increased significantly to approximately 16 million by the end of the period. Similarly, the healtcare sector started at around 500,000 jobs in 1960 then grew to 5 million in 1980 before it reaches to roughly 16 million in 2020, making it the same value in manufacturing.

In constrast, the manufacturing placed the highest numer of jobs at around 15million in 1960 then experienc an increas to 20 million in 1980 but saw a rapid decline in the folowing year, as it dropped futher to 15 million jobs in 2020.Meanwhile, agriculture started at around 6 million in 1960 then dropped to around 700,000 in 1980 and it remained relatively stable until 2000. Finally, the number fell steadily to approximately 400,000 by the end of the period,making the lowest figure throught the period.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response successfully addresses all parts of the task by reporting the main features and making relevant comparisons across the four sectors. An overview is provided, highlighting the main trends such as the substantial increase in retail and healthcare alongside the decline in agriculture and manufacturing. However, there are some minor data inaccuracies and misreadings compared to the visual data (for example, stating healthcare started at 'around 500,000' and agriculture dropped to '700,000' in 1980 when the chart shows higher figures). Despite these minor data slips, the key trends and comparative points are adequately captured and supported with figures, meeting the requirements for a Band 6.0.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The response is arranged coherently with a clear overall progression. It begins with an introductory sentence and an overview paragraph, followed by two body paragraphs grouping the upward and downward trends logically. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate different categories of information. Cohesive devices are employed to link ideas, such as 'Overall', 'Meanwhile', 'In terms of upward trend', 'Similarly', and 'In constrast'. However, referencing and transitions are at times slightly mechanical or repetitive, and minor punctuation or spacing slips occur. Overall, the logical organization and progression are clear throughout, warranting a Band 6.5.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully attempting less common items and descriptive phrases such as 'substantial increased', 'marked decline', and 'rapid decline'. However, there are noticeable word-choice, morphological, and spelling errors throughout the text, such as 'healtcare' (healthcare), 'constrast' (contrast), 'numer' (number), and 'experienc an increas' (experienced an increase). While these errors do not impede communication, their frequency prevents the score from reaching the higher bands. The lexical range is sufficient for task completion, fitting a Band 6.0 descriptor.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing relative clauses and time markers effectively (e.g., 'while agriculture saw a marked decline' and 'before it reaches to roughly 16 million'). There are, however, several grammatical errors and awkward phrasing present, such as 'manufacturing was the highest number of jobs', tense inconsistencies ('before it reaches'), and missing articles or prepositions ('in 1960 to 2020'). Punctuation and spacing errors also occur (e.g., missing spaces after commas and periods). These errors occasionally cause minor strain for the reader but do not impede overall communication, placing this at Band 6.0.

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