Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · 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 6.5)

The graph tracks the record of the number of jobs (in millions) in the four distinct sectors (manufacturing, retail, agriculture, and healthcare) related with the economy in the US during 1960 and 2020.

Overall, the number of jobs in the healthcare sector experienced the highest growth by far, followed by the retail sector, over the period. While, the manufacturing and agriculture sectors decreased modestly in term of the number of jobs, by the end of the period.

In 1960, the manufacturing unit had the most number of jobs (15 million), while the healthcare sector had the least number of jobs, recorded nearly 2 million. However, the manufacturing sector topped with 20 million jobs by 1980, whereas the number of jobs in the healthcare sector rose significantly and reached at 5 million in the same year. After 1980, the number of jobs declined gradually and reached nearly 13 million by 2020, while the number of jobs hovered in the healthcare sector and recorded at just above 15 million in 2020.

Regarding the number of jobs in the retail and agriculture sector, both were having the same number of jobs, which was just above 5 milllion in 1960. Following that year, the number of jobs in the agriculture sector started decresing gradually and ended up at approximately 2 million jobs in 2020. In contrast, the retail sector had 10 million jobs in 1980, reached 15 million in 2000 and recorded at just above 15 million in 2020.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The student successfully covers all four sectors across the specified time frame, fulfilling the core requirements of Task 1. An appropriate overview is provided, highlighting the dramatic growth in healthcare and the contrasting downward trends in agriculture and manufacturing. Key features, such as manufacturing peaking in 1980 at 20 million and healthcare reaching 16 million by 2020, are accurately reported and supported with data from the visual. The comparisons between sectors, particularly regarding retail and agriculture starting at similar points in 1960 and diverging significantly, are well-handled. The response demonstrates a clear understanding of the data trends without introducing irrelevant outside information. Minor improvements could involve a slightly tighter integration of data points to avoid minor repetition, but overall, the task is well addressed.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The response exhibits a clear logical organization and progression throughout. Information is grouped sensibly into paragraphs: an introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs detailing specific sectoral trends. Cohesive devices are used reasonably well to guide the reader through the data, employing transition markers such as 'Overall', 'In 1960', 'However', and 'In contrast'. Paragraphing is utilized appropriately to separate overall trends from specific figures and comparisons. Referencing is generally clear, though occasional minor clunkiness in transitions, such as 'While, the manufacturing...', slightly disrupts the flow. Nevertheless, the overarching structure is coherent and facilitates easy reading.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The student demonstrates a sufficient range of vocabulary for the task, allowing for some flexibility and precision when describing trends. Less common and functional items such as 'experienced the highest growth', 'declined gradually', and 'diverging' or comparative phrasing are attempted with good awareness of style and collocation. However, there are a few minor lexical inaccuracies and awkward word choices, such as 'related with the economy' instead of 'related to' or 'in', 'most number of jobs' instead of 'greatest number', and a slight spelling slip ('decresing'). Despite these occasional flaws, the vocabulary is more than adequate to convey the data effectively without impeding communication.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The response features a good mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating control over relative clauses and contrasting structures (e.g., 'While the manufacturing and agriculture sectors decreased...'). There are frequent error-free sentences, and punctuation is handled correctly. However, a few grammatical errors persist, such as the awkward punctuation and fragment in 'While, the manufacturing and agriculture sectors decreased...' and minor prepositional inaccuracies like 'reached at 5 million'. There is also a slight tense or phrasing slip in 'both were having the same number of jobs'. These errors do not impede communication, but they prevent the response from achieving a higher band.

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.