Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-19

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 depicts the information about the count of jobs in distinct sectors of the economy in USA during 1960 and 2020.

At the first glance, it is evident that in first given year a significant number of jobs are of manufacturing which was accounted for 15 millions and after 20 years a surge can be noticed in this count. This count started decreasing till last given year, being 13 millions. Second position was occupied by occupation of retail and agriculture in 1960, that was, 6 millions. In next given years trade of retails started escalating and reached at zeinth point by which value being 16 millions. ;However, agriculture job was diminished throughout the given time period and reached at the count of 2 millions.

Moving towards the rest of information, it is apparent that occupation of healthcare in United States of America was noticed to be approximately, 2 millions in 1960. This count was found to e 5 millions and 11millions in year 1980 and 2000, respectively. In the last given year this number of healthcare jobs was witnessed to e 16 millions which was also similar to the retail jobs in 2020.

Overall, it can be seen that maximum count of jobs was noticed in the sector of manufactur in 1960, 1980 and 2000 while in 2020 a decline was noticed in this count.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The candidate covers all four economic sectors shown in the graph and attempts to report the main features and trends. The overview at the end correctly identifies that manufacturing held the highest count of jobs initially before declining, while retail and healthcare grew. However, there are several data inaccuracies and generalisations. For instance, the student states that manufacturing jobs reached a surge after 1980 and then decreased to 13 million, whereas the graph shows manufacturing peaked at 20 million in 1980 and then dropped. Furthermore, the description of retail and agriculture starting at the same point in 1960 is imprecise as retail was 6 million and agriculture was 6 million, but the numbers for 2000 and 2020 are mostly accurate. Overall, the response addresses the prompt adequately but suffers from minor inaccuracies in data reporting.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The response is organised into logical paragraphs, including an introduction, body paragraphs addressing different sectors, and an overall summary. Cohesive devices are used to connect ideas, such as "At the first glance", "Second position was occupied", and "Moving towards the rest of information". However, referencing and transitions are sometimes mechanical or awkward, such as the punctuation error (";However,") and the repetition of structural phrases. Paragraphing is present and helps structure the response, but the flow between sentences could be smoother to achieve a higher band.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The candidate attempts a range of vocabulary suitable for a Task 1 report, using terms like "escalating", "diminished", "count", and "sector". However, there are notable word choice and collocation errors, such as "count of jobs in distinct sectors", "occupation of retail and agriculture", "trade of retails", and "zeinth point". Spelling errors also occur, such as "zeinth" (zenith) and "manufactur". While the vocabulary is adequate to convey the general message, these inaccuracies prevent the response from achieving a higher band score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay displays a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. Examples of complex forms include relative clauses and passive constructions, such as "which was accounted for 15 millions" and "which was also similar to the retail jobs in 2020". However, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with prepositions, articles, and verb forms (e.g., "in first given year", "jobs are of manufacturing", "value being 16 millions", "to e 5 millions"). Punctuation is also faulty in places, such as the stray semicolon before "However". These errors occasionally create awkwardness, though they do not completely impede communication.

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