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 graph illustrates the information about the number of employments in four sectors of the economy in a nation between 1960 and 2020.
Overall, the employment in retail and healthcare saw a steady growth throughout the time period. In contrast, the jobs in Agriculture sector declined in between 1960 and 2020. Jobs in manufacturing was the highest in 1980 among the others however, ended below the retail and healthcare sector in 2020.
Employment in manufacturing was the highest in 1960 among others and rose significantly from 15 millions in 1960 to 20 millions in 1980 before falling to just above 15 millions in 2000 and finally fell to below 15 millions in 2020. Conversely, occupations in Retail and healthcare domain rose substantially from above 5 millions and below 5 millions in 1960 to 10 and 5 millions in 2000 respectively before reaching 15 millions in 2020 surpassing the manufacturing work force.
Workers in agriculture arena were above 5 millions in 1960 however, kept steadily declined to below 5 millions in 2020.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0
The student covers all parts of the task well, providing an overview of the main trends and reporting the key features of the four economic sectors between 1960 and 2020. The selected data points are generally accurate according to the visual reference, noting the rise in retail and healthcare alongside the decline in agriculture and the fluctuating trajectory of manufacturing. However, there are some minor numerical inaccuracies, such as stating manufacturing fell to "just above 15 millions in 2000" when the graph indicates approximately 17 million, and slight confusion in the retail and healthcare figures for 2000. Despite these minor discrepancies, the overall response successfully fulfills the requirements of Task 1 by identifying and comparing the principal trends.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response is organized logically into four paragraphs, featuring an introductory sentence, an overview paragraph, and two body paragraphs detailing specific data. Cohesive devices such as "Overall," "In contrast," "however," and "Conversely" are used to signal transitions between ideas and sectors. However, paragraphing could be structured more effectively by grouping the growing sectors together versus the declining ones, and referencing is occasionally slightly repetitive or mechanical. Overall progression is clear and easy to follow, satisfying the criteria for a band 6.5 or solid 6.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary suitable for the task, successfully employing terms like "illustrates," "steady growth," "declined," and "surpassing." There are some awkward lexical choices and minor inaccuracies, such as "number of employments" instead of "number of jobs" or "level of employment," and minor word form issues like "kept steadily declined." Less common vocabulary is attempted with mixed success, but meaning remains clear throughout the response, fitting the band 6 profile well.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The student uses a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, incorporating clauses connected by time markers and conjunctions (e.g., "rose significantly from 15 millions in 1960 to 20 millions in 1980 before falling..."). There are several grammatical errors, particularly with pluralization and prepositions, such as "15 millions" instead of "15 million," and "jobs in Agriculture sector." Additionally, the sentence "Jobs in manufacturing was the highest..." contains a subject-verb agreement error. Nevertheless, these errors do not impede communication, allowing for a clear understanding of the data.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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