Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)
The line graph illustrates number of jobs in four sectors of the economy in the US over the period from 1960 to 2020.
Overall, it is clear that Healthcare and retail experienced an upward trend, while Agriculture declined over the period.It is also noticible that Manufacturing has the highest number of jobs at the beginning of the period,but gradually decreased from the year 1980.
In the beginning of the period, Healthcare stood at last position approxmately 2-3million jobs.It then gradually increased to approx 5 million jobs in the year 1980.After this its continuously increased till the end of the 2020.In the same way jobs in retail sector also continuously had a upward trend from 1960 to 2020.
Whereas, Manufacturing jobs more in the beginning of the period, from 1980 it showed a downward trend till 2020, approxmately 6 million jobs are less.While, agriculture is at the last position in all four sectors by the end of 2020.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0
The student covers all parts of the task by selecting and reporting the main features of the four economic sectors between 1960 and 2020. An overview is successfully provided in the second paragraph, outlining the overall upward trends in Healthcare and Retail alongside the decline in Agriculture. Key data points are cited, such as Manufacturing starting at the highest level (around 15-20 million) and Healthcare starting at the lowest position with approximately 2-3 million jobs. However, some descriptions are slightly imprecise or lack complete data support, such as 'approxmately 6 million jobs are less' regarding Manufacturing. Overall, the response fulfills the requirements of Task Achievement at a Band 6.5 level, tending towards a Band 7 due to a clear overview and appropriate trend identification.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response is organized into four paragraphs, following a logical progression from an introduction to an overview, followed by body paragraphs detailing specific sector trends. Cohesive devices are used to link ideas, such as 'Overall', 'In the beginning of the period', 'It then gradually increased', and 'Whereas'. However, referencing and paragraph transitions are occasionally mechanical, and there are punctuation and spacing issues (e.g., missing spaces after periods and commas, such as 'period,but' and 'period.It'). Despite these mechanical flaws, there is a clear overall arrangement and logical progression, justifying a Band 6.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, attempting appropriate topic-specific terminology such as 'economy', 'sectors', 'upward trend', and 'downward trend'. However, there are noticeable spelling and word choice errors, including 'noticible' (noticeable), 'approxmately' (approximately), and awkward phrasing like 'stood at last position'. The range is somewhat limited and repetitive, though sufficient to convey the main features of the graph. These errors do not impede communication, placing the response firmly in Band 6.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as 'Overall, it is clear that Healthcare and retail experienced an upward trend, while Agriculture declined over the period.' There are several grammatical errors and punctuation issues, including missing articles ('illustrates number of jobs'), run-on or incorrectly punctuated sentences ('period,but'), and incorrect verb forms ('its continuously increased'). Despite these errors, the meaning is generally clear and does not impede communication, supporting a Band 6 score.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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