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 chart tracks data on the variations in jobs of four different sectors including manufacturig, retail, agriculture, and healthcare and how they had affected the economy of US from 1960 to 2020. Units of jobs are measured in millions.
Overall, most jobs were available in manufacturing field that declined in number after a sharp rise in 1980. Retail and healthcare work have followed an escalating trend for job availability throughout the period, that meet at one point in 2020. On contrary, agricultural occupation saw a slight decrease and remained stable for the rest of the time.
Manufacturing jobs were 15 million in 1960 that rose to 20 million in 1980, but decreased sharply to about 17 million in 2000, and eventually at 12 million in 2020. Retail and healthcare professions were not common in 1960 with about 6 million and 2 million jobs respectively.That quantity increased steadily, 10 million and 5 million availabilities were present for them in 1980. These were faced a rise to 15 million and 12 million in 2000, and then their demands met at one point (16 million) in 2020.
Agricultural field was started with 5 million vacancies in 1960, fell to 3 million in 1980, and remained stable upto 2020.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 6.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0
The student covers all parts of the task well, providing an overview of the main trends and selecting key data points to report and compare. The opening introduces the chart effectively, though there are minor inaccuracies in the reported figures compared to the visual data, such as stating manufacturing ended at 12 million instead of approximately 13 million, and agricultural jobs starting at 5 million instead of 6 million in 1960. Nonetheless, the overall trends are accurately identified and supported, satisfying the requirements for a Band 6.5 or 7 descriptor range. The response would be enhanced by tighter precision in data extraction.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The response has a clear overall structure with an introduction, an overview paragraph, and two body paragraphs detailing the specific sectors. Cohesive devices are used to link ideas, such as 'Overall', 'On contrary', and 'then', though some transitions feel slightly mechanical or awkward (e.g., 'These were faced a rise'). Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate general trends from specific data points. Progression is generally logical, leading to a coherent presentation of the data, which aligns well with a Band 6.5 to 7 profile.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary suitable for the task, attempting less common items such as 'escalating trend', 'fluctuations' (implied by variations), and 'vacancies'. However, there are several spelling errors ('manufacturig') and awkward lexical choices or collocations, such as 'retail and healthcare work have followed' and 'agricultural occupation'. Repetition of vocabulary also occurs ('jobs', 'million'). These lexical shortcomings and inaccuracies place the response firmly in the Band 6 category.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, including relative clauses and subordinate structures. However, there are frequent grammatical errors and awkward phrasings, such as 'that declined in number', 'that meet at one point', 'These were faced a rise', and 'Agricultural field was started'. Punctuation and verb tense consistency also show lapses. While communication is not severely impeded, the frequency of errors prevents the grammar score from reaching the Band 7 threshold, making Band 6 a fair assessment.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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