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)

We are given with a graph showing number of jobs in four sectors of economy in the US, ranging from 1960 to 2020. So basically i really don't know much about the four sectors of economy, as i am not much familiar with such terminologies but i can summerise the graph and highlight the main aspects here.

In the horizontal x-axis there is given the number of years while on y-axis jobs are are given scaled in millions. In 1060's the minimum jobs were in Healthcare area as showed by doted line in graph. These were approximately 2 millions in 1960 then these gradually increased, going through 5 million in 1980 then gradually about 11 million in 2000 and in 2020 these reached about 16 million.

The dashed line on graph shows the jobs for Retail these also showed an exponential growth, ranging from 6 million in 1960 to 16 million in 2020.

The jobs in Agriculture area was initially same as Retail area but unlike that it gradually decreased, first it reached from 6 million to 3.5 million approximately then in 2020 it reached to 2.5 million, graph showing decreasing line.

The manufacturing area has a great number of jobs in 1960 consisting of 15 million job oppertunities. It also rapidly increased in next 20 years reaching to 20 million jobs but later it gradually started to decrease first it reached to 17 million in 2000 then in 2020 these reached to approximately 17 millions jobs.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The candidate has addressed the main parts of the task by reporting key data points and trends for the four economic sectors between 1960 and 2020. However, there is conversational and irrelevant commentary included at the beginning of the text, such as stating 'i really don't know much about the four sectors of economy', which detracts from the formal register required for Academic Task 1. An overview is largely missing as a distinct paragraph, although overall trends are embedded within the body paragraphs. While most figures are reported accurately (e.g., healthcare rising to 16 million), there is a minor contradiction in the final sentence regarding manufacturing ('reaching to approximately 17 millions jobs' in 2020, whereas the graph shows a drop to around 13 million). These limitations place the response at Band 5.5.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The response exhibits some organization, with separate paragraphs dedicated to different sectors or groups of sectors. However, the overall progression is somewhat disjointed due to the conversational opening. Cohesive devices are used, but they are often basic or mechanical (e.g., 'Then these gradually increased', 'The dashed line on graph shows'). Paragraphing is attempted, but the transition between ideas lacks smoothness. Referencing is mostly clear, but the lack of a cohesive introductory overview and summary paragraph limits the flow of the response. This performance aligns with the Band 5.5 descriptors.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, allowing the student to convey basic trends such as 'gradually increased', 'exponential growth', and 'decreased'. However, there are numerous spelling and word choice errors, such as 'summerise' instead of summarise, 'oppertunities' instead of opportunities, and 'area' used repeatedly instead of sector. The range of vocabulary is limited, and attempts at less common items are sometimes inaccurate or informal (e.g., conversational filler 'So basically i really don't know'). Because the errors do not severely impede communication, a band score of 5.0 is appropriate.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, but control over grammar and punctuation is inconsistent. There are several run-on sentences and comma splices, such as 'These were approximately 2 millions in 1960 then these gradually increased, going through 5 million in 1980 then...' Frequency of grammatical errors is noticeable, including pluralisation issues ('in 1060's', '2 millions') and prepositional errors ('in horizontal x-axis'). While the meaning is generally retrievable, the frequent errors and lack of punctuation control prevent the text from reaching Band 6.0.

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