Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)

The given line graph depicts jobs in four sectors of economy in the US between 1960 and 2020. Y-axis represents number of jobs in millions. The years are on X-axis.

Overall , it can be obsevered that manufacturing was in demand in 1980 whereas, in same year agriculture was the lowest among all four sectors. Furthermore, with time the trend of manufacturing decreased and it was at its bottommost point in 2020.

Moreover, retail and agriculter sector both had similar number of opportunities with just little above 5 million jobs in 1960 but, later on retail sector saw an upward growth and reached its peak in 2020 with having approximately 15 million pepole. However, agriculture was not doing so good in same time period and recored the least number of job in 2020.

To add more healthcare sector started with a very low openings but it soon followed the same path as retail sector and go almost same number of jobs around 15 million.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response covers all four sectors of the economy across the given time period, successfully identifying key trends such as the peak and subsequent decline in manufacturing, the steady growth in retail and healthcare, and the decline in agriculture. The overview touches upon the main features, though it is slightly fragmented by being placed at the beginning of the second paragraph rather than in a dedicated introduction summary. While some figures are rounded or generalised (e.g., 'approximately 15 million people'), they are largely accurate according to the visual data. The student successfully satisfies the requirements of Task 1 by making relevant comparisons.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The text exhibits a clear overall logical arrangement, dividing the response into an introductory description, an overview, and body paragraphs dedicated to different sectors. Cohesive devices are used to guide the reader through the data, such as 'Furthermore', 'Moreover', and 'However'. However, some cohesive links feel mechanical, and paragraphing could be structured more conventionally for an Academic Task 1 response (e.g., placing the overview immediately after the introduction). Referencing is generally clear, but transitional phrases are sometimes overly colloquial, such as 'To add more'.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, successfully conveying trends through words like 'growth', 'decreased', and 'peak'. However, there are several spelling and word choice errors, such as 'obsevered', 'agriculter', and 'pepole'. The range of vocabulary is somewhat limited, relying heavily on basic descriptors rather than demonstrating a flexible range of less common lexical items appropriate for graph analysis.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as 'Moreover, retail and agriculter sector both had... but, later on retail sector saw...'. There are frequent grammatical errors and punctuation issues, including missing articles ('Y-axis represents number of jobs'), preposition errors ('jobs in four sectors of economy'), and comma splices. While these errors do not severely impede communication, they persist throughout the text and prevent the response from achieving a higher band.

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

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