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 rendered line graph illustrates the information about the number of vacancies in four sections of the economy in US between 1960 and 2020.

Overall, it is observed that in the beginning, manufacturing sector had the highest job market followed by retail then agriculture and at last healthcare while this trend get changed by the end of the period.

It is vivid from the graph that in 1960, 15 million jobs were present in the manufacturing sector which further increased to 20 million after 2 decades afterwards the employment opportunities drastically declined by 2020 however the job market in retail had 6 million jobs initially and in 1980 it spiked to 10 million then 15 million by 2000 eventually 16 million by the end of phase.

Furthermore, it is noticed that there was the presence of 6 million jobs and 3 million jobs in the sectors of agriculture and healthcare respectively in 1960 later on the jobs market trend shifted significantly by amplifying the job opportunities in the sector of healthcare in contrast the decreased employment rate in the field of agriculture over the passage of time.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The student covers all parts of the task well, providing an overview and reporting the main features of the four economic sectors between 1960 and 2020. Data points such as manufacturing starting at 15 million in 1960 and peaking at 20 million are accurately reported. The overview correctly identifies the shift in dominance from manufacturing to retail and healthcare by the end of the period. However, there is a minor data misinterpretation in the final paragraph where the student states agriculture had 6 million jobs and healthcare had 3 million in 1960 (the graph shows agriculture at 6 million and healthcare at 2 million). Despite this minor numerical slip, the response clearly fulfills the requirements of Task 1, earning a band score of 6.5.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The response is arranged into four paragraphs, including a clear introduction, an overall summary, and body paragraphs detailing specific data trends. Cohesive devices and transition phrases such as 'Overall', 'Furthermore', and 'in contrast' are used to connect ideas, though some sentences run together without adequate punctuation, such as '...20 million after 2 decades afterwards the employment opportunities drastically declined...'. Paragraphing is logical, grouping the manufacturing and retail trends separately from agriculture and healthcare. While the overall progression is clear, the lack of full stops or commas in complex sentences occasionally creates choppy or run-on reading experiences. This corresponds to a band score of 6.0.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully employing terms like 'employment opportunities', 'sectors', 'drastically declined', and 'spike'. There are some awkward collocations and imprecise word choices, such as 'vacancies' instead of 'jobs' or 'sections' instead of 'sectors' in the opening sentence. Additionally, phrases like 'end of phase' and 'trend get changed' are slightly unnatural. However, the vocabulary is sufficient to convey the main trends clearly and communication is not impeded, fitting the descriptors for a band 6.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing relative clauses and comparative structures. However, grammatical control is inconsistent. There are run-on sentences and punctuation errors, notably missing commas and periods, such as in the third paragraph where multiple clauses are strung together without proper separation ('...initially and in 1980 it spiked to 10 million then 15 million by 2000 eventually 16 million by the end of phase'). Errors in prepositions and articles also appear, such as 'in US' instead of 'in the US'. Because errors occasionally cause the reader to pause, a band score of 5.5 is appropriate.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

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