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 line graph illustrates economical four sector's job count in the US from 1060 to 2020.

Overall, the healthcare had the least number of jobs at the beginning but in the end, it reached at the top. Although, Agriculture sector started with a decent number, it was placed at the last position in the year of 2020.

To begin with, Manufacturing had the highest number of jobs which was fifteen millions in the year of 1060. After that, there was a significant increase and reached to twenty millions in the year of 1980. Following that, the sector had a rapid decrease in the jobs count with around thirteen millions in the final year.However, the healthcare started with almost three millions and had a steady growth over the years. Finally, it had over fifteen millions job.

On the other hand, Retail and agriculture both started with around six millions. However, there path to the last year totally opposite. Retail had a steady and significant growth having the same number of jobs as healthcare in 2020. Whereas, agriculture sector have a downward trend. In the of 1980, it had almost four millions jobs. By keeping the number steady till 2000, it again decreased to around two millions.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The student successfully addresses the main features and trends of the line graph, making relevant comparisons across the four sectors. An overview is provided, noting that healthcare rose to the top while agriculture fell to the bottom. Key data points such as the initial and final figures for manufacturing, healthcare, and retail are generally accurate and supported by the prompt's visual data. However, there are some minor numerical inaccuracies, such as citing the year 1960 as '1060' and '1980' as 'the of 1980'. Despite these minor flaws, the task is adequately addressed in line with Band 6 descriptors, as all parts are covered with relevant ideas, though some data reporting could be more precise.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is structured into four paragraphs, including an introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs covering the economic sectors. There is a logical progression of ideas overall, moving from an introduction and summary to detailed body paragraphs. Cohesive devices are used to link ideas (e.g., 'To begin with', 'Following that', 'On the other hand'), although some transitions feel slightly mechanical or are grammatically flawed, such as 'there path to the last year totally opposite'. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate different categories of data, earning a solid Band 6 for coherence and cohesion.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully employing terms related to data trends such as 'significant increase', 'rapid decrease', 'steady growth', and 'downward trend'. However, there are notable lexical and phrasing errors, such as 'economical four sector's job count' instead of 'economic sectors', and 'fifteen millions' instead of 'fifteen million'. Less common vocabulary is attempted with mixed success, and there are repetitive structures. These inaccuracies do not severely impede communication, fitting the Band 6 descriptor well.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The response exhibits a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, attempting structures like subordinate clauses ('Although, Agriculture sector started...'). However, grammatical accuracy is inconsistent. There are numerous errors including missing articles ('the healthcare', 'retail and agriculture'), incorrect prepositions or word forms ('there path... totally opposite', 'agriculture sector have a downward trend'), and basic number/pluralisation slips ('fifteen millions'). Punctuation is generally acceptable, but errors in grammar occasionally require the reader to re-read parts of the text. Overall, the grammatical control corresponds to a Band 5.5 or 6.0, best represented by a 5.5.

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