Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · 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 6.5)

The given line graph depicts the number of jobs in four different departments of economy in US from year 1960 to 2020.

Overall, we can see that healthcare departement has more or less a linear curve, increasing over the years, having the least number of jobs in 1960 and the most in 2020. While, manufacturing had the most number of jobs initaillay which declined over the years.

Retail and agriculture both has same number of jobs starting from 1960, but over the years jobs in agriculture declined and finally went to around 2.5 million in 2020. On the other hand, retail jobs increased over the years mostly between 1980 and 2000, finally reaching around 15.5 million in 2020 same as that of healthcare.

Manufacturing jobs initially rose to 20 million but then there was a constant decline of a total of around 7 million reaching around 13 million in 2020. Number of jobs in healthcare had a surge in every decade with a linear curve.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The response successfully covers all parts of the task by reporting the main features and making relevant comparisons across the four sectors between 1960 and 2020. The overview effectively captures the primary trends, such as healthcare rising steadily and manufacturing declining after an initial peak. Key data points are correctly cited, such as manufacturing starting at 15 million, rising to 20 million, and falling to 13 million, as well as retail and healthcare both reaching around 15–16 million by 2020. While some minor figures are rounded or approximated, the overall reporting is accurate and well-grounded in the visual data. The response meets the requirements of a well-developed Task 1 report.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The report has a clear overall progression and is divided into appropriate paragraphs, starting with an introduction, followed by an overview, and then detailed body paragraphs grouping the sectors logically. Cohesive devices such as 'While', 'On the other hand', and 'finally' are used to connect ideas, though there are some slight mechanical transitions. Referencing is generally clear, and the information flows sensibly from general trends to specific data comparisons, ensuring the reader can easily follow the analysis.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary suitable for the task, incorporating terms such as 'linear curve', 'declined', 'surge', and 'constant decline'. However, there are some spelling and lexical errors, such as 'departement' instead of 'department', 'initaillay' instead of 'initially', and referring to 'departments of economy' rather than 'sectors of the economy'. Despite these occasional inaccuracies, the vocabulary is sufficient to convey the intended meaning clearly and allows for some flexibility in describing trends.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The response employs a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, including participial clauses and comparative structures. There are several grammatical errors and awkward phrasing, such as 'Retail and agriculture both has same number' (subject-verb agreement and missing article) and 'finally went to around 2.5 million'. Punctuation is generally acceptable, but comma splices and minor structural slips occur. The errors do not impede communication, placing the response solidly in the band 6 range for grammar.

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