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 the number of jobs contributing in the US economy in four sectors between 1960 and 2020.

Overall, manufacturing sector has contributes significantly in providing jobs, while agriculture remain the least favorite through out the period. Jobs in healthcare and retail shown an upward trend and gained popularity over the period.

In 1960, majority of individuals were working in manufacturing sector accounted for 15 million jobs and reached to 20 million by 1980 before falling steadily to almost 14 million in 2020. Jobs in agriculture were least contributing in the US economy started from 6 million in 1960 and falling to just around 1 million by 2020.

Retail sector has observed a significant growth accounted for 6 million jobs in 1960 after that demand in the sector increases gradually to around 15 million in 2000 before reaching a plateau and finishes at 16 million in 2020. Healthcare has also shown a similar trend growing dramatically from 2 million jobs in 1960 to 16 million in 2020.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The student successfully covers all parts of the task by reporting the main features and making relevant comparisons across the four sectors. An appropriate overview is provided in the second paragraph, highlighting the dominant position of manufacturing and the upward trends in retail and healthcare. Key data points are generally accurate, such as manufacturing starting at 15 million in 1960 and peaking at 20 million in 1980, and agriculture remaining the lowest throughout. However, there are minor inaccuracies in data reporting; for instance, the student states agriculture fell to 'around 1 million' when the graph indicates 2 million, and manufacturing fell to 'almost 14 million' rather than 13 million. Despite these minor discrepancies, the response meets the core requirements of Task Achievement well, earning a Band 6.5.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The response is arranged logically with a clear introduction, an overview paragraph, and separate body paragraphs dedicated to contrasting sectors. Cohesive devices are used to signal progression, such as 'In 1960', 'before falling steadily', and 'after that'. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate different categories of information. However, referencing and cohesive links are sometimes mechanical or slightly awkward, as seen in 'Retail sector has observed a significant growth accounted for 6 million jobs in 1960 after that demand in the sector increases gradually'. While the overall progression is clear, these minor mechanical transitions prevent the response from achieving a higher band. Coherence and Cohesion is awarded a Band 6.0.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully incorporating terms such as 'contributing', 'sector', 'upward trend', 'plateau', and 'dramatically'. However, there are several lexical errors and awkward word choices throughout the text, such as 'least favorite' instead of 'least popular' or 'lowest', 'jobs in healthcare and retail shown' (grammatical/lexical slip), and 'accounted for' used incorrectly where 'starting at' is intended. Less common vocabulary items are attempted but occasionally lack precision or correct collocation. Communication is not impeded by these errors, placing the lexical performance solidly at 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 time clauses appropriately. There are, however, frequent grammatical errors, particularly regarding verb forms and tense consistency. Examples include 'manufacturing sector has contributes significantly' (incorrect verb form), 'agriculture remain' (subject-verb agreement error), 'Jobs in healthcare and retail shown' (missing auxiliary), and run-on structures like 'Retail sector has observed a significant growth accounted for 6 million jobs in 1960 after that demand in the sector increases gradually'. While these errors do not prevent the reader from understanding the overall message, their frequency places the response at a Band 5.5.

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