Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-18

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)

The line graph shows the information about the number of jobs in Manufacturing, Retail, Agriculture and Healthcare of the economy in the US between 1960 and 2020. Units are measured in millions.

Overall, It is clear that the number of jobs in Retail and Healthcare rose significantly over the period without any fluctuations, while the number of jobs in Agriculture decreased over the period. However, the number of jobs in Manufacturing decline and finish below Retail and Healthcare by the end of the period.

In 1960, the number of jobs in Manufacturing was 15 million which was highest in that period, then in 1980 it rose to 20 million before declining to around 17 million in 2000. In 2020 the number of jobs in Manufacture decreased to below 15 million and it finishes even below than Retail and Healthcare. In the meantime, the number of jobs in Retail in 1960 was above 5 million and it rose to 15 million in 2000 without any fluctuations. In 2020 it shows a steady rose to around 16 million but it finishes above the manufacturing.

On the other hand, the number of jobs in Healthcare and Agriculture in 1960 was around 2 million and above 5 million.

In 1980 the number of jobs in healthcare rose to 10 million and by the end of the period it increased to above 15 million same as Retail. Despite being higher than Healthcare the number of jobs in Agriculture decreased to below 5 million in 1980 and finishes around 2 million by 2020 which was the lowest in the figure.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The student successfully addresses all parts of the task by reporting the main features, trends, and comparisons across the four economic sectors between 1960 and 2020. An overview is provided in the second paragraph, capturing the main trajectories such as the upward trends in Retail and Healthcare and the decline in Agriculture. Key data points are cited accurately, such as Manufacturing peaking at 20 million in 1980 and Agriculture dropping to around 2 million by 2020. However, there are minor inaccuracies in data reporting; for example, the student states that Healthcare rose to 10 million in 1980 (whereas it was around 5 million) and mentions it reached 15 million 'same as Retail', although Retail was at 16 million. Despite these minor data interpretation slips, the response is well-supported with relevant figures and fulfills the requirements of Task 1 adequately.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The response is logically organized with a clear overall progression. It begins with an introductory statement and an overview, followed by body paragraphs that break down the data by sectors. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the different groups of data. Cohesive devices are employed to connect ideas, such as 'Overall', 'In 1960', 'In the meantime', and 'On the other hand'. However, referencing and cohesive links are occasionally mechanical or slightly repetitive, and some sentences feel somewhat disjointed, such as 'On the other hand, the number of jobs in Healthcare and Agriculture in 1960 was around 2 million and above 5 million.' Overall arrangement is coherent and easy to follow.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting some less common items such as 'fluctuations', 'significantly', and 'decreased'. However, there are notable word choice and collocation errors, such as 'steady rose' instead of 'steady rise', 'Manufacture' instead of 'Manufacturing', and 'finishes' used inappropriately for past tense data narration. Spelling and word formation issues appear, but communication is not impeded. To reach a higher band, the student needs to demonstrate greater precision in word forms and collocations when discussing numerical trends.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing time clauses and relative structures (e.g., 'which was highest in that period'). However, control over grammar and tense consistency is inconsistent. There are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with tense shifts (e.g., switching between past and present such as 'shows' and 'finishes' when describing historical data from 1960 to 2020) and missing articles or prepositions. For instance, 'the number of jobs in Manufacturing decline' lacks past tense marking, and 'rose to around 16 million but it finishes above the manufacturing' contains tense and article issues. These errors occur regularly but do not impede overall communication.

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