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 given line graph provides information about job's number avaliable in aspects of Manufacturing, retail, agriculture and healthcare in the US from 1960 to 2020.
Overall, while the number of jobs opportunities significantly increased in the fields of retail and healthcare, it witnessed an overall decrease in manufacturing and agriculture.
There was a gradual increase in the number of jobs opportunities between 1960 and 2000 starting from almost 5 milions up to 10 and 15 in retail and healthcare respectively. afterwards, a slight climb in the medical and retails respects until they crossed together in 2020 and reached the peak at 15 milions.
By contrast, The number of full time jobs in agricultural field showed a sharp reduction over the whole period of time between 1960 at almost 6 millions to reach the almost 3 millions only by 2020 which was the lowest field among them all. Additionally there was a fluctuation in the inducstrial jobs overal, at first in peaked at 20 millions in 1980 and decreased steadily to reach 12 by 2020.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 6.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5
The candidate successfully addresses all parts of the prompt by presenting an overview of the four sectors and making appropriate comparisons between them. The main features are reported accurately, such as the significant upward trend in retail and healthcare and the downward trends in manufacturing and agriculture. Data points are cited with reasonable accuracy, matching the visual data provided. For example, noting that retail and healthcare reached 15 or 16 million by 2020 and that manufacturing peaked at 20 million in 1980 reflects the graph well. The overview is clear and well-positioned at the beginning of the response. The requirements of Task 1 are fully met, earning a solid band score.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The response is organized logically with a clear introduction, an overview paragraph, and separate body paragraphs dealing with the contrasting trends. Cohesive devices such as 'Overall', 'while', 'afterwards', 'By contrast', and 'Additionally' are used to connect ideas, though some transitions feel slightly mechanical. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate growing sectors from declining ones. While the logical progression is generally clear throughout, referencing and sentence-level cohesion occasionally lack complete fluency, preventing the response from reaching a higher band.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The candidate demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully employing terms related to trends such as 'significantly increased', 'gradual increase', 'sharp reduction', and 'fluctuation'. However, there are noticeable spelling and word choice errors, such as 'avaliable' instead of available, 'milions' instead of millions, 'retails respects' instead of retail sector, and 'inducstrial' instead of industrial. Despite these inaccuracies, the vocabulary is sufficient to convey the intended meaning without impeding communication.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, using subordinate clauses ('while the number of jobs opportunities significantly increased...'). However, there are frequent grammatical errors and awkward phrasings, such as 'job's number avaliable in aspects of', missing articles ('in agricultural field'), and issues with prepositional usage ('in 1960 at almost 6 millions'). Punctuation and capitalization errors also occur, such as starting a sentence with a lowercase 'afterwards' and capitalizing 'The' mid-sentence. These errors occasionally cause slight difficulty for the reader, placing the grammar at a Band 6.0 level.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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