Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)
The given line chart illustrates the information about number of job opportunities in four domains for US economy from 1960 to 2020.
Overall, employment in the Retail & Healthcare sectors increased significantly over the period and reached at same level, whereas jobs in Agriculture declined steadily. In the Manufacturing sector employment experienced growth initially then followed a downtrend in later years. Retail & Healthcare both domains overtook the Manufacturing sector.
In the Manufacturing sector employment stood at 15 million in 1960, which increased to 20 million by 2020. From 1980 to 2020 less employment had been observed which stood at 23 million recorded in 2020. Retail and Healthcare domains employment inclined rapidly from 6 million & 2 million to 16 million respectively between 1960 and 2020.
Moreover, employment in the Agriculture sector stood at 6 million in 1960 followed by 3 million in 1980 and remained stable till 2000, after that it decreased slightly to 2 million in 2020.
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 student successfully addresses all parts of the task by identifying the main trends and making relevant comparisons across the four economic sectors. The overview correctly highlights the significant growth in the Retail and Healthcare sectors and the steady decline in Agriculture, along with Manufacturing's fluctuating pattern. However, there are significant data errors in the body paragraphs. For instance, the student states that manufacturing employment 'increased to 20 million by 2020' and later mentions it 'stood at 23 million recorded in 2020', whereas the graph clearly shows it dropping from a peak of 20 million in 1980 down to 13 million in 2020. These factual inaccuracies prevent the response from achieving a higher band score.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response has a clear overall progression and is divided into logical paragraphs, beginning with an introduction, followed by a general overview, and detailing specific data in the subsequent body paragraphs. Cohesive devices are used to guide the reader through the data, such as 'Overall', 'Moreover', and 'whereas'. However, referencing and cohesion are sometimes faulty or mechanical, as seen in confusing transitions and awkward placement of comparative data. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate different categories of information, but logical flow is occasionally disrupted by data contradictions.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary used is generally adequate for the task, with appropriate topic-specific terms such as 'employment', 'domains', 'sectors', and 'downtrend'. The student attempts less common vocabulary like 'inclined rapidly' and 'downtrend', but errors in word choice and collocation occasionally surface, such as 'reached at same level' and 'less employment had been observed'. Spelling and word formation are generally accurate, but the lexical range lacks the flexibility and precision required for higher band levels.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The student demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing relative clauses and introductory prepositional phrases effectively (e.g., 'In the Manufacturing sector employment stood at...'). However, there are notable grammatical errors and awkward phrasing, such as 'The given line chart illustrates the information about number' (missing article), 'reached at same level' (incorrect preposition), and tense inconsistencies when discussing historical and projected data points. While these errors do not severely impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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