Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)

The bar graph illustrates the number of jobs in four sectors of the economy in US from1960 to 2020. the jobs are in millions.

Overall, in the manufacture sector had most jobs and in agriculture sector had least jobs. The healthcare sector had rapidly incline in jobs and retail sector grew dramatically.

The manufacture sector had highest jobs in 1960 which was 15 millions and it peaked in 1980 at 20 millions jobs but after it started to decline and in 2020 it had around 13 millions jobs and stand at third position. The agriculture sector had 5.5 millions jobs in 1960 started to decreasing and had around 3.5 millions jobs in 1980 and remained same till 2000. It further fall slightly and got lowest position with 2 millions jobs.

Additionally, the healthcare sector had lowest numbers of jobs in 1960 which was almost 2.5 millions after it started to rose and in 1980 it had 5 millions numbers of job in more it increased quickly and had 11 millions jobs in 2000 and after it continues went up and in 2020 it had 15.5 millions jobs which was similar to retail sector. Retail sector had 5.5 millions jobs in 1960 which was similar to agricultural sector. In 1980 it had exactly 10 millions and it surge and had 15 millions jobs in 2000.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The student attempts to cover all four sectors across the years provided, identifying key trends such as the rapid growth in healthcare and the decline in agriculture. However, there are noticeable inaccuracies in data reporting. For instance, the text claims the 'manufacture sector had most jobs' overall, whereas healthcare and retail reached higher numbers by 2020 (around 16 million compared to manufacturing's 13 million). Furthermore, the overview mentions a 'bar graph' instead of a line graph, and some specific data points contain minor discrepancies from the visual prompt. Despite these flaws, the response successfully outlines the main features and makes relevant comparisons, aligning well with the Band 5.5 to 6.0 range.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The response is organised into paragraphs, starting with an introduction and overview, followed by body paragraphs detailing specific sectors. However, the logical progression is occasionally hindered by mechanical cohesive devices and awkward transitions (e.g., 'after it started to rose', 'in more it increased quickly', 'after it continues went up'). Paragraphing is attempted, but grouping could be managed more effectively to separate distinct trends. Referencing is sometimes unclear, particularly when comparing multiple years and sectors in a single block of text. Overall arrangement is coherent enough to follow, supporting a Band 5.5 score.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting some less common economic and descriptive terms such as 'sector', 'decline', 'peaked', 'surge', and 'dramatically'. However, there are frequent word choice and collocation errors, such as 'had most jobs' instead of 'accounted for the most jobs', 'rapidly incline' instead of 'rapid incline', and 'started to decreasing'. Spelling errors are minimal, but morphological forms are frequently inaccurate (e.g., 'fall' instead of 'fell', 'rose' instead of 'rise'). The vocabulary is sufficient to convey the general meaning, fitting the Band 5.5 descriptors.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, but control over grammar is weak. There are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with tense consistency, verb forms, and prepositions (e.g., 'the jobs are in millions', 'manufacture sector had highest jobs in 1960 which was 15 millions', 'it continues went up'). Punctuation is also problematic, with sentences starting with lowercase letters and missing terminal punctuation in places. Complex structures often contain errors that cause some difficulty for the reader. These issues place the grammatical performance firmly at a Band 5.0.

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