Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)
The graph compares major sectors, creating jobs in the economy of US during 1960 to 2020 era.
The chart shows manufacuring sector was creating higher number of jobs during 1960 early on but the trend shifted towards health sector as it grows significantly.
in 1960, number of jobs in manufacturing industry were around 15 milion. It was achieved its peak in 1980 by creating around 20 million jobs. After achieving peak, lost momentum in 2020, the numbers were down to 14 million roughly. On the other hand, Growth of jobs in retail sector increased during 1960 to 2020, from 5 million to more than 15 million in 2020.
Agriculture data on graph indicating continous down-ward trajectory as 5 million people were linked with it in 1960 gradually decline to around 2 million. Last sector on graph clearly outperformed other sectors to create jobs in US economy. More than 15 million jobs were created during 2000 to 2020. These numbers are highest among other years in healthcare sector.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response covers all four sectors shown in the graph and makes appropriate comparisons across the 1960 to 2020 period. The student correctly identifies manufacturing as starting high and declining, retail and healthcare as growing significantly, and agriculture as experiencing a downward trend. However, there are some minor inaccuracies in reading the exact figures from the graph, such as stating that manufacturing peaked at 20 million in 1980 (which is accurate) but then dropping to 14 million in 2020 (whereas the visual data shows around 13 million). Additionally, the overview in the second paragraph is a bit basic ('manufacuring sector was creating higher number of jobs during 1960 early on but the trend shifted towards health sector'). Despite these minor flaws, all main features are reported satisfactorily, earning a solid band 6.0.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response is divided into logical paragraphs, beginning with an introduction, followed by an overview, body paragraphs discussing specific sectors, and a concluding remark on healthcare. Cohesive devices such as 'On the other hand' and 'Last sector on graph' are used to guide the reader through the data, although referencing and transitions can occasionally feel a bit mechanical or abrupt (e.g., starting a sentence with 'in 1960, number of jobs...'). Paragraphing is present and generally appropriate, though dividing the body into clearer thematic groupings would enhance overall flow. Progression is clear overall, placing this text firmly at a band 6.0.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The student demonstrates an adequate vocabulary range for the task, attempting some less common collocations and descriptive phrases such as 'down-ward trajectory', 'lost momentum', and 'outperformed other sectors'. However, there are several spelling errors ('manufacuring', 'milion', 'continous') and awkward lexical choices or missing articles (e.g., 'economy of US', 'health sector as it grows significantly'). While the vocabulary is sufficient to convey the main trends, these recurring inaccuracies limit the score to a band 5.5.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response exhibits a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as 'The graph compares major sectors, creating jobs in the economy of US during 1960 to 2020 era' and 'Agriculture data on graph indicating continous down-ward trajectory...'. There are several grammatical errors and punctuation omissions throughout the text, including missing articles ('economy of US', 'number of jobs'), participle/tense confusion ('indicating' instead of 'indicates', 'It was achieved its peak'), and capitalization issues ('in 1960'). These errors occasionally cause minor friction for the reader but do not impede overall communication, fitting the band 5.5 descriptors well.
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.