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 line graph show the number of jobs in four different sectors of the United States economy between 1960 to 2020. The sectors includes manufacturing, retail, agriculture and healthcare, and the figures are given in millions.

In overall, manufacturing was the most dominant sector during most of the period, while agriculture jobs was decreased considerably. On the other hand, retail and healthcare experienced an upward trend and become the biggest employers in 2020.

In 1960, manufacturing had nearly 15 million workers, which were much higher than retail at 6 million. Agriculture stood at about 7 millions, whereas only 2 million people was employed in healthcare. After that, manufacturing increased dramatically to 20 million in 1980, but it declined to around 17 million in 2000. It then fall further and finished at approximately 13 million jobs in 2020.

Retail employment rose gradual from 6 million to 10 million in 1980, before reaching 15 million in 2000 and 16 million at the end. Similarly, healthcare demonstrated a significant proliferation, growing from 2 million to 16 million. In contrast, agriculture reduce sharply to 3 million in 1980, remained stable in 2000, and finally dropped at only 2 million jobs.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The student successfully covers all parts of the task by reporting the main features, making relevant comparisons, and providing an accurate overview of the trends. Key data points from the visual text are accurately cited, such as manufacturing starting at 15 million in 1960 and peaking at 20 million in 1980, and retail/healthcare rising to become the largest employers by 2020. The comparison between sectors is handled well throughout the body paragraphs. The overview clearly highlights the overarching trends (manufacturing dominance initially versus the surge in retail and healthcare). The task is fully and effectively addressed, meeting all criteria for a Band 7.5 to 8.0 level, comfortably earning a solid 7.5.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The response is logically organised with a clear introduction, overview paragraph, and well-divided body paragraphs addressing specific time periods and sectors. Cohesive devices are used effectively to guide the reader through the data (e.g., 'In overall', 'On the other hand', 'After that', 'In contrast'). However, there is a minor unnatural collocation in the opening of the second paragraph ('In overall' instead of 'Overall'), and paragraphing could flow slightly better between sentences. Despite these minor issues, the logical progression is clear throughout the response, justifying a Band 7.0.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The student demonstrates a sufficient and generally appropriate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully using terms related to economic sectors and trend description ('dominant', 'upward trend', 'declined', 'proliferation'). There are some minor lexical inaccuracies and awkward collocations, such as 'agriculture jobs was decreased', 'retail employment rose gradual' (instead of gradually), and 'agriculture reduce sharply' (instead of reduced). Nevertheless, the vocabulary is varied enough to convey precise meaning without impeding communication, fitting the Band 6.5 descriptor well.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The writer attempts a good mix of simple and complex sentence structures with varied clauses ('which were much higher than retail at 6 million', 'before reaching 15 million in 2000'). However, there are several noticeable grammatical errors involving subject-verb agreement and tense/form choices, including 'The line graph show' (shows), 'The sectors includes' (include), 'agriculture jobs was decreased' (decreased), 'It then fall further' (fell), and 'agriculture reduce sharply' (reduced). Because these errors occur with some frequency across the text, they prevent the score from reaching Band 7.0, placing it securely at Band 6.0.

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