Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · 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 6.0)

The line graph illustrates information about the 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 also noticeable that manufacturing had the highest number of jobs at the beginning of the period but gradually decreased after 1980.

In the beginning of the period, healthcare stood at approximately 2.5 million jobs. It then gradually increased to 5 million jobs in the year 1980. After this it continuously increased till the end of the period. After this , Retail stood at 5 million jobs. It then constantly increased to 15 million jobs in the year 2000 then it increased to 17 million by 2020.

In contrast , at the starting of the period, manufacturing stood at approximately 15 million jobs by 1960. It then gradually increased to 20 million jobs in the year 1980 after this it decreased till the end of the period reaches to 13 million jobs . After this , Agriculture stood at 5 million jobs. It then experienced sharp declined to 2-3 million jobs in the year 2020.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The student covers all parts of the task well, providing an overview and detailing the trends and key figures for all four sectors of the economy. The overview correctly identifies that Healthcare and Retail experienced upward trends while Agriculture declined, and notes Manufacturing's initial high point and subsequent decrease. However, there are some minor inaccuracies in specific data reporting: for instance, Healthcare is stated as starting at approximately 2.5 million jobs when the graph shows around 2 million, and Retail in 2020 is reported as 16 million whereas Healthcare also reached 16 million (the text has some confusing phrasing around Retail's 2020 figure). Despite these minor data slips, the main features are appropriately selected and reported, meeting the expectations for a Band 6.5 to 7.0 range.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The response is arranged into a clear three-paragraph structure consisting of an introduction, an overview, and body paragraphs. There is an overall logical progression, moving from general trends to specific sector details. However, cohesive devices are sometimes awkwardly applied or repetitive, such as the repeated use of 'After this ,' and 'It then' in quick succession within the body paragraphs, which makes the flow somewhat mechanical. Paragraphing is used, but grouping the sectors could have been executed more fluidly to enhance readability. Referencing is generally clear, though minor punctuation errors around transition words detract slightly from the structural polish.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The student demonstrates an adequate vocabulary range for the task, successfully employing terms like 'upward trend,' 'gradually increased,' and 'continuously increased.' Less common items and paraphrasing attempts are present, such as 'experienced sharp declined' (which contains a grammatical error in form). While there are some awkward word choices and phrasing repetitions—like starting multiple consecutive sentences with 'It then'—the lexical resource is sufficient to convey the main features and trends clearly, satisfying the criteria for Band 6.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as 'while Agriculture declined over the period , it also noticeable that...' and 'It then continuously increased till the end of the period.' However, there are frequent grammatical errors and punctuation flaws, including run-on structures, comma splices, and tense or form errors like 'experienced sharp declined' instead of 'experienced a sharp decline' or 'declined sharply,' and 'reaches to 13 million jobs.' While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are frequent enough to prevent the response from achieving a higher band.

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

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