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 shows us the trend between 1960 and 2020 regarding the number of jobs across four major sectors (Manufacturing, Retail, Agriculture, and Healthcare) of the economy in the US.
Overall, the visualization shows an increasing trend in the healthcare and retail industries. Healthcare rose from below 5 million jobs in 1960 to slightly above 15 million jobs in 2020, whereas the manufacturing and agriculture sectors indicate a decreasing trend over time; nevertheless, manufacturing shows a spike in the year 1980 of about 20 million jobs.
Before the 20th century ([redacted phone]), the retail sector shows a significant increase in the total number of jobs, surging to 15 million jobs in 2000, similar to healthcare, which spiked slightly above 10 million jobs in 2000. Surprisingly, the manufacturing sector shows an interesting trend, reaching about 20 million jobs in 1980; however, it lost demand after that. Similarly, the agriculture sector shows a decreasing trend since 1960; however, it indicates a steady number of jobs between 1980 and 2000.
In the early 20th century, the retail and healthcare sectors kept rising in terms of jobs, both reaching the same number of jobs in 2020, just slightly above 15 million, whereas manufacturing and agriculture showed a downward trend.
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 successfully addresses all parts of the task by reporting the main features and trends for all four economic sectors between 1960 and 2020. An overall trend is provided, and key data points such as manufacturing peaking at 20 million in 1980 and the dramatic rise of healthcare are accurately highlighted. However, there are minor inaccuracies in time references, such as referring to the period 1960-2000 as 'Before the 20th century' and 2020 as 'the early 20th century', which represents a chronological confusion since these years belong to the 20th and 21st centuries. Despite these lapses, the data selection is relevant and well-supported.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response is arranged coherently with a clear overall progression from an introductory overview into body paragraphs detailing specific sectoral trends. Cohesive devices such as 'whereas', 'nevertheless', and 'however' are employed to contrast data points. However, paragraphing and logical flow are occasionally hampered by chronological errors and repetitive structural transitions. Referencing is generally clear, though the progression from the 1960-2000 block into the final 2020 summary feels slightly disjointed due to the confusion surrounding centuries.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary suitable for an Academic Task 1 response, utilizing terms such as 'visualization', 'surging', 'downward trend', and 'fluctuating' (implied by description). There are attempts to use less common vocabulary, though some awkward phrasing and inaccuracies occur, such as referring to economic sectors losing 'demand' rather than employment numbers or jobs. Spelling is generally accurate, and vocabulary choices do not impede communication, satisfying the criteria for Band 6.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The student displays a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing relative clauses and subordinate structures effectively ('Healthcare rose from below 5 million jobs... whereas the manufacturing...'). There are frequent error-free sentences, but also notable lapses in grammatical precision and factual phrasing. The most glaring issue is temporal inaccuracy (referring to the 1960-2000 period as 'Before the 20th century'), which impacts both task achievement and grammatical/logical coherence. Overall control is decent, supporting a solid Band 6 performance.
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