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 shows about number of jobs in four regions of the economy in the America from 1960 to 2020, measured in millions.
Overall, the retail and healthcare department rose sinificantly onwards while the agriculture department declined gradually in the given period. In contrast, the manufacturing sector had the highest jobs initially, and decreased at the end of the time
The retail and agriculture had the same number of jobs in the 1960. But the retail jobs surge dramatically, and reached 15 millions in 2000. After that, the retail figure inclined gradually to nearby 16 milluions in 2020.In contrast, the agriculture showed a rapid decline to approximately 3 millions in 1980. After that, the figure slowly drops to nearly 3 millions in 2020.
On the other hand, the manufacturing department had the most jobs is 15 millions in 1960. Then it rose up to 20 millions in 1980. Afterwards, he decreased dramatically and reached to nearby 13 millions in 2020. The healthcare department had the lowest number of jobs in 1960 is probably 3 millions. It became the most famous at the end.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response covers all four economic sectors shown in the graph and makes several relevant comparisons over the period from 1960 to 2020. There is a clear overall summary provided in the second paragraph noting the main trends. However, there are some minor data inaccuracies; for instance, the student states that retail and agriculture had the same number of jobs in 1960 (both around 6 million according to the chart, which is correct), but describes retail as reaching 15 million in 2000 and then inclining to nearly 16 million in 2020, while misreading healthcare's starting point as 3 million instead of 2 million. Despite these minor reading slips, the main features and general trends are successfully reported, satisfying the core requirements of Task 1.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response is arranged into four paragraphs, providing a logical structure that separates the introduction, the overall trend, and the body details. Cohesive devices such as 'Overall', 'In contrast', 'After that', and 'On the other hand' are used to connect ideas, though some transitions feel slightly mechanical or repetitive. Paragraphing is handled reasonably well, and there is a discernible progression of ideas from the overview to specific sector details, although referencing and linking between sentences could be smoother in places.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary used is generally adequate for the task, attempting some less common items such as 'significantly', 'dramatically', 'decline', and 'surge'. However, there are several noticeable word choice and collocation errors, such as 'regions of the economy' instead of 'sectors', 'department' instead of 'sector', 'retail figure inclined' instead of 'increased' or 'rose', and spelling slips like 'sinificantly' and 'milluions'. Despite these lexical inaccuracies, the meaning remains clear throughout.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The student demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, incorporating time clauses and comparative structures. However, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with prepositions and articles (e.g., 'shows about number of jobs', 'in the America', 'had the highest jobs', 'in the 1960', 'he decreased dramatically'). Pronoun confusion ('he decreased' instead of 'it decreased') and tense inconsistencies also occur. While these errors do not impede overall communication, their frequency prevents the score from reaching Band 6.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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