Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-17
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 that the number of jobs in four different sectors of the econemy in the US over a period of 70 years.
Overall, the number of jobs in manufacturing company and agriculture sector decline by 2020, wherasejobs in retail and Healthcare sector were considerably increase.
In 1960, employment in manufacturing sector was 15million, the jobs further increase about 20million by 1980, however the jobs begin to drop remaind13million by the end of 2020. In contrast, agriculture sector contain 6million employees, while the jobs slighty decline, and figure remained same (4million) from 1980 to 2000, and by the end of 2020 ratio of job holders were 3million.
Furthermore, retail and health care sector both signifacntly increase, In 1960, retail employment rate was 6 million but it was significantly surge in each year about 6 million employees by 2020 . Neverthaless, healthcare sector also increase from 3 million to 16 million over a period of 70years.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The student attempts to report the main features and trends of the graph, identifying the four sectors: manufacturing, retail, agriculture, and healthcare. However, there are several inaccuracies in data reporting. For instance, the student states that manufacturing employment remained at '13 million by the end of 2020' (which is accurate), but misinterprets the 1980 agriculture figure as 4 million (the chart shows around 3 million) and states that retail surged 'in each year about 6 million employees by 2020'. The overview identifies the main trends, noting that manufacturing and agriculture declined while retail and healthcare increased. Although all parts of the task are addressed, the precision of the data is compromised in places, leading to a band score of 5.5.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response is organized into an introduction, an overview paragraph, and two body paragraphs. However, paragraphing is somewhat erratic, with the first body paragraph containing a mixture of manufacturing and agriculture data, and the second combining retail and healthcare. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'Overall', 'In 1960', 'In contrast', and 'Furthermore', but referencing is occasionally unclear or awkward, such as 'while the jobs slighty decline, and figure remained same'. The progression of ideas is present but sometimes mechanically executed, resulting in a band 5.5 for coherence and cohesion.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The student attempts some less common vocabulary items such as 'employment', 'sector', 'significantly', and 'surge'. However, there are numerous spelling and word-choice errors throughout the text, including 'econemy', 'wherasejobs', 'remaind', 'slighty', 'signifacntly', and 'Neverthaless'. The range is adequate for the task, but frequent inaccuracies in spelling and collocation restrict the score to a band 5.0.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, such as 'The line graph illustrates that the number of jobs...'. However, there are frequent grammatical errors and punctuation issues, including run-on sentences, missing articles, and incorrect verb tenses or forms (e.g., 'the jobs further increase about 20million', 'jobs begin to drop remaind13million', 'ratio of job holders were 3million'). These errors occasionally cause difficulty for the reader, placing the grammar performance firmly at a band 5.0.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.