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 line graph illustrates information about the number of jobs in Manufacturing, retail, agriculture, and healthcare of the economy in the US from 1960 to 2020.

Overall, it is clear that, manufacturing noted the highest figure at the beginning of the period, while retail and healthcare reached a peak level over the period. Additionally, agriculture remained same with slight changes.

At the beginning of the period, manufacturing stood at 15 million, compared with retail and agriculture for over 5 million in the year 1960. Manufacturing then rosed significantly, reaching nearly 13 million in 2020. However, it declined sharply from 20 million in 1980 to nearly 13 million in 2020. Meanwhile, retail and healthcare rose, ending the period at nearly 15 million. Similarly, healthcare followed same pattern as retail.

In contrast, agriculture followed a different pattern. It decreased from 5 million to around 2 million, indicating a stability throughout the period.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The student covers all parts of the task by reporting the main features of the four economic sectors across the 60-year period and makes relevant comparisons. The overview captures the general trends correctly, noting that manufacturing started the highest while retail and healthcare grew significantly. However, there are some data inaccuracies and contradictions in the body paragraphs. For example, the student states that manufacturing 'rosed significantly, reaching nearly 13 million in 2020,' but immediately follows this by noting it 'declined sharply from 20 million in 1980 to nearly 13 million in 2020,' which confuses the overall trajectory. Furthermore, agriculture is described as starting at 'over 5 million' (it was 6 million) and later the text says 'It decreased from 5 million to around 2 million, indicating a stability throughout the period,' which is contradictory since a decrease from 5 to 2 million does not equate to stability. These lapses prevent the response from reaching a higher band.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The response is organized into logical paragraphs, beginning with an introduction, moving to an overview, and providing body paragraphs with specific data points. Cohesive devices are used to guide the reader through the data, such as 'Overall,' 'At the beginning of the period,' 'However,' 'Meanwhile,' and 'In contrast.' However, referencing and progression are occasionally faulty due to confusing sentence links and internal contradictions within the body paragraphs. For instance, transitioning between contrasting trends in manufacturing is abrupt, and paragraphing could be structured more cleanly to separate the rising sectors from the declining ones. Despite these issues, the overall arrangement remains coherent and easy to follow.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully employing terms related to data reporting such as 'illustrates,' 'highest figure,' 'peak level,' 'rose significantly,' and 'declined sharply.' There are some awkward collocations and imprecise word choices, such as 'remained same with slight changes' and referring to a decrease as 'indicating a stability.' Spelling is generally accurate, but minor lexical slips prevent the score from reaching Band 7. Nevertheless, the vocabulary is sufficient to convey the main informational points without impeding communication.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing introductory subordinate clauses such as 'At the beginning of the period, manufacturing stood at...' and comparative structures. However, grammatical accuracy is inconsistent. There is a notable morphological error with the past tense of rise ('rosed significantly' instead of 'rose significantly') and a comma splice/cohesion issue in the opening sentence. While many sentences are grammatically sound, the presence of errors in tense formation and awkward phrasing occasionally requires the reader to re-read, placing this response firmly in the Band 6 category.

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