Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · 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 6.5)

The line graph illustrates the number of jobs, in million, in four sectors of the US economy such as manufacturing, retail, agriculture and healthcare from 1960 to 2020.

Overall, it can be seen that manufacturing recorded the highest figure at the start of the period, while agriculture and retail ranked second. It can also be notice that healthcare showed the most dramatic growth, whereas agriculture saw a decline.

In 1960, manufacturing accounted for 15 million jobs significantly more than retail and agriculture, which both employed about 6 million people. Healthcare was the smallest sector with just over 2 million jobs.

From 1980 onwards, manufacturing employment declined steadily to about 13 million in 2020. On the other hand, retail continued to grow, reaching around 15 million in 2020. Healthcare experienced the most dramatic increase, rising to 11 million in 2020 and matching retail at 16 million in 2020. Agriculture conyinued to decline to around 2 million jobs, the lowest of all sectors.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The student successfully covers all parts of the task by reporting the main features, trends, and comparisons across the four economic sectors. The overview correctly identifies manufacturing as starting the highest, healthcare experiencing the most dramatic growth, and agriculture declining. Key data points are accurately cited, such as manufacturing beginning at 15 million in 1960 and retail and healthcare both reaching 16 million by 2020. The response is fully relevant and effectively answers the prompt requirements without major omissions. This performance aligns well with Band 7.0 descriptors.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The response is logically organized with a clear overall progression. It begins with an introductory paragraph, followed by a clear overview in the second paragraph, and is supported by well-divided body paragraphs detailing the specific years (1960 and 1980-2020). Cohesive devices such as 'Overall', 'In 1960', and 'On the other hand' are used effectively to guide the reader through the data. Paragraphing is logical and appropriate for an Academic Task 1 report. This fits the Band 7.0 profile.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The student demonstrates a sufficient range of vocabulary suitable for the task, incorporating terms such as 'illustrates', 'dramatic growth', 'declined steadily', and 'employed'. There are some minor lexical slips, such as 'in million' instead of 'in millions' in the opening sentence and a typo in 'conyinued', but these do not impede communication. Less common lexical items are attempted with reasonable success. The vocabulary is adequate to secure a Band 6.5.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

The response features a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as relative clauses and introductory prepositional phrases ('From 1980 onwards, manufacturing employment declined...'). There are a few minor grammatical lapses, such as 'It can also be notice' instead of 'noticed', but the majority of sentences are grammatically accurate and errors rarely impede communication. Control of punctuation is generally good. This level of accuracy and range warrants a band score of 7.0.

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

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