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 graph explained the main features about the number of jobs in the four sector of US economy between 1960 and 2020. Overall, the US economy had shuffled frequently over the period 1960 and 2020. A major increase showed toward healthCare, whereas a major declined hits toward the Agriculture sector. The Retail sector and the Healthcare remained stable at the end of the period, while the Manufacturing sector initially rose and then slightly decreased over the end of the period.

On the one hand, the Healthcare had fewer jobs at the start that's around 2.5 million in 1960 and 16 million at the end of 2020. In contrast, the Agriculture sector had 6 million jobs at the start that decreased and ends at 2 million in 2020. The Manufacturing sector initially had 15 millions jobs then rose to 20 million in 1980. However, it slightly decreased to 13 millions in 2020. At the last, the Retail sector showed a significant growth over the period. At the start it had 6 million jobs that grew steadily and ended at 16 million in 2020.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The student covers all four economic sectors and outlines key changes over the 1960-2020 period, satisfying the main requirements of Academic Task 1. An overview is attempted in the introduction ('Overall, the US economy had shuffled frequently...'), though it lacks some precision regarding the overall direction. Main features such as the substantial rise in Healthcare and the decline in Agriculture are reported accurately, backed by correct data points from the chart (e.g., Healthcare moving from 2.5 million to 16 million). However, some minor inaccuracies occur, such as stating that 'The Retail sector and the Healthcare remained stable at the end of the period', whereas Retail continued a steady climb. Overall, the task is addressed adequately, placing it at a Band 6.0.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The response is organized into two main paragraphs, separating the introduction/overview from the body details. Logical sequencing is generally maintained, and the writer uses some cohesive devices such as 'In contrast', 'However', and 'At the last' to transition between ideas. However, referencing and paragraph cohesion are occasionally faulty or awkward, as seen with 'At the last' instead of 'Lastly' or 'Finally'. Furthermore, the grouping of information could be more cohesive, as the Retail and Healthcare sectors are mixed somewhat abruptly in the opening overview sentence. Paragraphing is present, but overall progression feels slightly mechanical, corresponding to a Band 6.0.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, successfully conveying trends through terms like 'increase', 'declined', 'stable', and 'growth'. The writer attempts some less common vocabulary items and collocations, such as 'shuffled frequently', 'major increase', and 'significant growth'. However, there are noticeable word choice and collocation inaccuracies, including 'a major declined hits toward' and 'millions jobs' (pluralization error). While vocabulary suffices to communicate the main data points, these lexical errors and a limited overall range prevent the response from achieving a higher band, making Band 6.0 appropriate.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The student demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing relative clauses and time-phrase introductions (e.g., 'The graph explained the main features about the number of jobs... Overall, the US economy had shuffled...'). However, grammatical accuracy is inconsistent. There are frequent minor errors with articles, prepositions, and verb tenses, such as 'The graph explained' (should be present tense 'explains'), 'in the four sector' (missing plural 'sectors'), 'that's around 2.5 million' (informal contraction), and 'ends at 2 million' (tense shift from past). Despite these errors, communication is rarely impeded, supporting a Band 6.0 score.

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