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 shares information about the millions of job opportunities in four domains of the economy in the US from 1960 to 2020.
Overall, The Manufacturing employment numbers peaked in 1980, after which they decline steadily. The number of employment in Retails sectors increase significantly same pattern was observed in Healthcare domain. The Agriculture and Healthcare sector had surpassed each other at one point between 1960 and 1980. There was a sudden decline in number of employment from 1960 to 1980 in Agriculture sector, after which steady employment recorded till 2000 and again slightly fall till 2020.
The number of employment in Manufacturing rose sharply till 1980 by 20 million, after that jobs decreased significantly by 7 million between 1980 and 2020. Employment in Retail and Healthcare increased dramatically from 6 million and 2 million to 16 million respectively.
Moreover, the number of jobs available in Agriculture were 6 million, which dropped to 3 million in 1980. Period between 1980 to 2000 was remained stable at 3 million, after which small declination of 1 million observed by 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 covers all four sectors (Manufacturing, Retail, Agriculture, and Healthcare) and reports key trends and figures, such as the peak in manufacturing in 1980 at 20 million and the rise in retail and healthcare to 16 million. However, there are some inaccuracies in the overview and details. For instance, the overview incorrectly states that the Agriculture and Healthcare sectors surpassed each other at one point, which is not supported by the graph as Healthcare strictly grew while Agriculture strictly declined. Furthermore, some data reporting contains minor confusion (e.g., stating retail and healthcare increased to 16 million 'respectively' when both reached 16 million). Despite these lapses, the main features are sufficiently reported to meet Band 6 requirements.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response is arranged into four paragraphs, including a brief introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs detailing the data. Progression is generally coherent, but referencing and cohesion are sometimes faulty or mechanical. For example, the transitional phrase 'Moreover' is used awkwardly, and the phrasing 'Period between 1980 to 2000 was remained stable' lacks proper article usage and contains grammatical interference. Paragraphing is present and logically separates the overview from specific details, but the overall logical flow between sentences occasionally stumbles due to awkward transitions and repetitive sentence structures.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting less common lexical items such as 'peaked', 'declined steadily', 'rose sharply', and 'stable'. However, there are noticeable word choice and collocation errors, such as 'number of employment' instead of 'number of employees' or 'employment figures', 'Retails sectors' instead of 'retail sector', and 'declination' instead of 'decline'. Spelling is generally accurate, but these lexical inaccuracies restrict the score to a Band 6.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response features a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, though complex structures are often prone to errors. Examples of grammatical errors include 'after which they decline steadily' (tense inconsistency), 'The number of employment... increase' (subject-verb agreement error), and 'Period between 1980 to 2000 was remained stable' (awkward passive/active confusion). Punctuation is generally acceptable, and while these errors are frequent enough to prevent a higher band, they do not severely impede overall communication.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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