Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · 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 6.0)

Overall, the number of jobs in the four sectors changed significantly over the period. While employment in some sectors increased, other sectors experienced a decline. The service sector showed the most noticeable growth, whereas the manufacturing sector generally decreased.

In 1960, the manufacturing sector had a relatively high number of jobs. However, employment in this sector gradually declined over the following decades. In contrast, the service sector increased steadily and became the largest source of employment by the end of the period.

The agriculture sector also showed a downward trend from 1960 to 2020, with the number of jobs falling considerably. Meanwhile, the energy sector remained comparatively smaller and experienced some fluctuations during the period.

By 2020, the service sector had clearly overtaken the other three sectors, while agriculture had the lowest number of jobs. Overall, the graph shows a major shift in US employment

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The student provides an overview of the trends and attempts to select and report main features. However, the response is under the 150-word minimum requirement, finishing at 145 words, which requires a downward adjustment in Task Achievement. Furthermore, the student misidentifies economic sectors, referring to the 'energy sector' instead of 'agriculture' in one instance, and fails to cite any specific data values (such as millions of jobs or peak years) to support the comparisons. While the general trends are captured—such as the growth of the service/retail sector and the decline of manufacturing and agriculture—the lack of specific figures and the inclusion of an incorrect sector name prevent a higher score.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The response is logically organized with a clear overall progression. It begins with an introductory overview paragraph, follows with body paragraphs discussing specific sectors, and concludes with a summary statement. Cohesive devices are used reasonably well, with phrases like 'While employment', 'In contrast', 'Meanwhile', and 'By 2020' helping to link ideas together. Paragraphing is used appropriately, and referencing is generally clear throughout the text, though the overall development is limited by the short length of the response.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary used is generally adequate for the task, with appropriate phrases such as 'experienced a decline', 'downward trend', and 'falling considerably'. However, there is a notable lexical error when the student mentions the 'energy sector', which does not appear in the graph and seems to confuse agriculture or manufacturing. The range of vocabulary is somewhat limited and lacks more sophisticated or precise terminology that would elevate the response to a higher band, such as 'fluctuated', 'plummeted', or 'surpassed'.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

The student demonstrates a satisfactory command of sentence structures, utilizing a mix of simple and complex forms, such as subordinate clauses ('While employment in some sectors increased, other sectors experienced a decline'). Grammatical accuracy is reasonably good, and punctuation is handled correctly. Most sentences are free of major errors, and the few complex structures attempted do not cause communication issues. However, the grammatical range is somewhat restricted due to the brevity of the writing.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

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