Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-22

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 6.5)

The information about the job opportunities in four different sectors in United states betweem 1960 and 2020 is depicted by the provided line graph.

Overall it is evident that, number of jobs in Manufacturing and Agriculture sector noted steady decline, whereas rapid rise was evident in number of jobs concerning Retail and Healthcare sector over the given time period.

Scrutinizing deeper into the obtainable information, Manufacturing sector was noted to have highest number of jobs (20 million) in the year 1980, which showed a rapid decline in the following year, reaching a rock bottom in the year 2020 with roughly 13 million jobs. Following the same trend Agriculture sector consisted around 6 million jobs, decreasing gradually in the following years.

Digging deeper into the chart, two major job sectors, Healthcare and Retail followed identical trend over the given period of time. Both the sectors noted evident increase in their job numbers. In the year 1960, number of jobs in the Healthcare and Retail sector was approximately 3 million and 5 million respectively. Rising from their rock bottom, both the sectors skyrocketted over the following years, acquiring their position at almost 16 million which was highest among all in the year 2020.

Hereby, I conclude my report.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The student successfully addresses all parts of the task by reporting the main features, trends, and comparisons of the four economic sectors between 1960 and 2020. An overview is present, highlighting the overall contrast between declining sectors (Manufacturing, Agriculture) and rising sectors (Retail, Healthcare). Data points are generally accurate and grounded in the visual data, such as noting Manufacturing peaking around 20 million in 1980 and falling to 13 million in 2020, and Healthcare and Retail both reaching roughly 16 million by the end of the period. However, there are some minor descriptive inaccuracies, such as stating that Manufacturing showed a rapid decline 'in the following year' after 1980 when the graph measures in twenty-year intervals, and misinterpreting the 1960 starting point for Healthcare and Retail. Overall, the task is covered well, earning a solid Band 7.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The response is logically organised with a clear overall progression from the introduction to the overview, body paragraphs, and a concluding sign-off. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate different features of the graph. Cohesive devices are employed reasonably well, including transitional phrases like 'Scrutinizing deeper into the obtainable information' and 'Digging deeper into the chart'. However, some cohesive phrasing feels a bit repetitive or mechanical. Referencing is generally clear, though minor linking weaknesses prevent the response from achieving a higher band. Overall, the organisation supports the clarity of the report, meeting the criteria for Band 7.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The student demonstrates a sufficient range of vocabulary to describe trends and data with some flexibility and precision. Phrases such as 'steady decline', 'rapid rise', and 'rock bottom' add good descriptive quality. Less common lexical items are attempted, such as 'skyrocketted' and 'scrutinizing'. However, there are occasional word choice and spelling inaccuracies, including 'betweem' instead of 'between', missing articles like 'the' before 'Manufacturing and Agriculture sector', and slight awkwardness in phrasing such as 'obtaining their position at almost 16 million'. These minor errors do not impede communication, placing the lexical resource comfortably at Band 6.5, rounded to 6.5.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The response features a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating adequate grammatical control. The writer attempts various complex structures, such as introductory participial clauses ('Scrutinizing deeper into the obtainable information...') and relative constructions. While many sentences are accurate, there are noticeable grammatical errors throughout, such as missing articles ('number of jobs in Manufacturing and Agriculture sector noted steady decline'), subject-verb agreement issues, and punctuation slips. Nevertheless, these errors rarely impede communication and the overall meaning remains clear. This performance aligns well with the descriptors for Band 6.

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

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