Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-20
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 given line graph compares the number of jobs in four sectors namely manufacturing, retail, agriculture and health care of the economy in the United States between the years 1960 and 2020.
Overall, it can be noted from the graph that dsepite a slight decline in the final years, most of the jobs were in the manufacturing sector. In contrast, agriculture sector provided the lowest number of jobs through out the years. Jobs in the sectors of retail nad healthcare were different in term of numbers but surged consistently between the years and aligned at the final stage.
In detail, jobs in the agriculture sector in 1960 were around six million but drastically declined till 1980. The trend continued till 2020 but whith a bit slower pace. There were fifteen millions jobs in the manufacturing sector which surged to twenty millions in 1980 which also counted for the highest number of jobs in all sectors. It constantly decline onwards 1980.
Despite being varring intially which is that jobs in the health care were below five milloin while above it in retail sector, both increased steadily and matched in 2020.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 6.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 6.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response covers all four sectors and reports the main features and trends across the period. An overview is provided, noting the dominance of manufacturing and the lower figures for agriculture, alongside the convergence of retail and healthcare. However, there are some inaccuracies in reporting the data: the student states that most jobs were in the manufacturing sector throughout, yet healthcare and retail surpassed manufacturing by 2020. Additionally, agriculture did not 'drastically decline till 1980' from six million, rather it dropped from six million to around three million and then remained stable. Despite these data misinterpretations, the task is addressed with a clear attempt to select and compare key features.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The text is organized into logical paragraphs, beginning with an introduction, followed by an overall statement, and then breaking down the details. Cohesive devices are used to connect ideas, such as 'Overall', 'In contrast', and 'In detail'. However, paragraphing is somewhat fragmented, with a single-sentence final paragraph that should ideally be integrated elsewhere. Referencing and cohesion are occasionally mechanical or unclear, such as 'Despite being varring intially which is that...', leading to a lack of smooth progression in places.
Lexical Resource — Band 6.0
The student demonstrates an adequate vocabulary range to convey information, using terms such as 'surged', 'decline', and 'sectors'. However, there are multiple spelling errors ('dsepite', 'varring', 'intially', 'milloin', 'whith') and awkward word choices ('different in term of numbers', 'aligned at the final stage'). Less common lexical items are attempted but lack precision and accuracy, placing the response firmly in the Band 6 category.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response features a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as relative clauses and introductory prepositional phrases. However, grammatical accuracy is inconsistent. There are several structural errors and awkward phrasings, including 'jobs in the sectors of retail nad healthcare were different in term of numbers', 'It constantly decline onwards 1980', and 'which is that jobs in the health care were below five milloin while above it in retail sector'. These errors occasionally cause strain for the reader, though communication remains mostly clear.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.