Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-21
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 graph demonstrates the information about the number of jobs in four different sectors of US economy, from the period of 1960 to 2020.
Overall, there was increased in the economy of retail and healthcare. Moreover, The manufacturing industry show fluctuation and agriculture economy gradually decreased.
The graph shows that in 1960, there was 15 million jobs in manufacturing which was most at that time. In 1980, it was grown to 20 million. From 1980 to 2020, the manufacturing jobs declined to below 15 millions. On the other hand, the retail sector jobs in 1960 was almost 6 millions. From 1960 to 2000, the retail jobs increased to 15 millions. Furthermore, In next twenty years till 2020 the retail jobs show stabilization around 16 millions.
The agriculture jobs in 1960 was 6 million same like retail. In 1980, agriculture jobs decreased to below 5 millions. From 1980 to 2020, the agriculture industry stabilized at that point. In contrast, the healthcare jobs in 1960 was below than 5 millions. In 1980, it was slowly increased to 5 millions. From 1980 to 2020, it was rapidly increased to almost 16 millions and join the retail jobs.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 6.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 6.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0
The student successfully covers all four sectors (manufacturing, retail, agriculture, and healthcare) and reports the main trends and data points accurately across the period from 1960 to 2020. An overview is attempted in the second paragraph, noting the growth in retail and healthcare, the fluctuation in manufacturing, and the decline in agriculture. While the overview could be slightly more fully integrated, the response highlights key features such as manufacturing peaking in 1980 at 20 million and healthcare surging to match retail by 2020. Minor inaccuracies in data reading (such as stating agriculture was 6 million in 1960 when the chart shows it starting at 6 million alongside retail) do not detract from a generally clear and accurate reporting of the visual data, satisfying the requirements for Band 6.5 to 7.0.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The response is arranged into logical paragraphs, with an introduction, an overview, and separate body paragraphs dedicated to contrasting sectors. Cohesive devices such as 'Moreover', 'On the other hand', 'Furthermore', and 'In contrast' are used to connect ideas and guide the reader. However, some referencing and paragraphing mechanics are slightly faulty, such as starting a new paragraph for agriculture and healthcare abruptly, and occasional awkward transitions. Progression is generally clear throughout, making the overall structure coherent enough to meet Band 6 descriptors.
Lexical Resource — Band 6.0
The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary suitable for the task, incorporating terms such as 'fluctuation', 'stabilization', 'declined', and 'industry'. However, there are notable word choice and collocation inaccuracies, such as 'there was increased in the economy' instead of 'there was an increase', and 'agriculture economy' instead of 'agricultural sector'. Spelling and word formation are generally acceptable, but frequent minor lexical slips prevent the response from achieving a higher band, placing it firmly at Band 6.0.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, using temporal clauses like 'from the period of 1960 to 2020' and 'from 1980 to 2020'. However, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with verb forms and subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'there was 15 million jobs' instead of 'there were 15 million jobs', 'it was grown' instead of 'it grew', 'healthcare jobs in 1960 was below than 5 millions'). Punctuation is generally okay, but the accumulation of grammatical inaccuracies in simple structures limits the band score.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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