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 line chart tracks data on the variations in the number of jobs (manufacturing, retail, agriculture, and healthcare) related to the economy in the United States. It gives the information about how jobs in millions fluctuate with the passage of 60 years from 1960 to 2020.

Overall, manufacturing jobs were prevailing more than the rest in the given time period, but the numbers of this work follow a declining trend. Secondly, retail and agricultural profession have an escalating trend throughout the whole period. A steady flow is noticed in the healthcare jobs.

First of all, in 1960, 15 million manufacturing jobs were present that were elevated upto 1980 to 20 million. A sharp fall was noticed with about16.5 million in 2000, and 13 million in 2020. On contrary to that, the number of retail and agricultural work were began from almost 6 million and 2.5 million respectively, in 1960 . Then that quantities follow a surging rise and the lines meet at one point in 2020 . Retail jobs were increased to 10 million in 1980, 15 million in 2000, and 16 million in 2020. Agricultural work was rose to 5 million in 1980, jumped to 12 milllion in 2000, and finally met with retail work at 16 million in 2020.

Although all the jobs follow a specific trend regarding to their numbers, healthcare department has an almost stable line. It was started with 5 million jobs in 1960 that fell to 3 million in 1980, and remained constant upto 2020.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The student attempts to address all parts of the task by reporting data for all four sectors across the specified time frame. However, there are significant factual inaccuracies regarding the visual data. For instance, the student states that retail and agricultural professions had an escalating trend and 'met at one point in 2020' where agricultural work 'jumped to 12 million in 2000, and finally met with retail work at 16 million in 2020'. According to the data, agriculture actually declined steadily from 6 million in 1960 to 2 million in 2020, rather than rising to 16 million. Furthermore, the description of healthcare is entirely incorrect, stating it fell to 3 million and remained constant when it actually rose substantially from 2 million to 16 million. These misreadings of the chart pull the score down to Band 5.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The response has an overall structure with an introduction, an overview paragraph, and body paragraphs, showing an attempt at logical organisation. Paragraphing is used to separate different ideas, although the grouping of data within paragraphs lacks clarity due to the factual errors in data interpretation. Cohesive devices such as 'Overall', 'First of all', and 'On contrary to that' are used, but referencing is sometimes awkward or inaccurate (e.g., 'that quantities follow a surging rise'). Progression is hindered by the confusion in data reporting, resulting in a Band 5.5 performance for cohesion and coherence.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting words and phrases like 'prevailing', 'declining trend', 'escalating trend', and 'surging rise'. However, there are noticeable errors in word choice, collocation, and phrasing throughout the response, such as 'jobs related to the economy', 'numbers of this work', and 'On contrary to that' instead of 'In contrast'. Spelling is generally acceptable, but lexical inaccuracies cause some confusion for the reader, placing the response firmly in Band 5.5.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, including introductory subordinate clauses ('Although all the jobs follow a specific trend...'). However, grammatical accuracy is weak, with frequent errors in verb tense, voice, and preposition use. Examples include 'were prevailing more', 'were began from', 'quantities follow', and 'department has an almost stable line'. Passive and active voice constructions are frequently confused (e.g., 'Agricultural work was rose'). These frequent errors reduce readability, though they rarely obscure the general topic, earning a Band 5.0.

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