Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-23

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 chart illustrates the number of employment in four different sectors of the US economy from 1960 to 2020.

Overall, it is clear that the manufacturing industries had highest employment figures initially. In contrast retail and agriculture industries had lowest starting figures, but they both end with a sharp boost in their employment throughout the period.

In 1960, manufacturing industry ranked highest among all other categories provided approximately 15 million jobs. However this figures dropped gradually over the period in 2020. While the agriculture industry had fewer positions which is just over 5 million in 1960, this figure is no more maintained or dropped marginally in 2020.

The retail industry began with just over 5 million job positions which climbed significantly from 1960 to 2000. However this figure remained steady to its ending year 2020. As compared to health care industry beginning with lowest stats roundabout 0.3 million positions in 1960 which climbed sharply and touch to 15 million throughout the year 2020

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The student covers all four categories shown in the graph and attempts an overview. However, there are some noticeable inaccuracies regarding the data. For instance, the student states that retail and agriculture industries had the lowest starting figures, but agriculture started at 6 million while healthcare started at 2 million. Additionally, the description of agriculture dropping marginally is inaccurate, as it fell from 6 million to 2 million. The retail industry is also misreported as remaining steady to 2020, whereas it actually increased from 15 million in 2000 to 16 million in 2020. Consequently, while the main trends are outlined, data misinterpretations prevent a higher band.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response is organized into clear paragraphs, including an introduction, an overview, and body paragraphs dedicated to specific sectors. Cohesive devices are used to connect ideas, such as "Overall", "In contrast", and "However". However, referencing and progression are sometimes faulty, as seen in imprecise linking between sentences and awkward transitions. Paragraphing is present and logically attempts to separate categories, but the overall logical flow is occasionally disrupted by confusing comparisons and imprecise data reporting.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The student demonstrates an adequate vocabulary for the task, attempting less common economic terms such as "employment figures", "industries", "ranked highest", and "job positions". However, there are several lexical inaccuracies and awkward collocations, such as "number of employment" instead of "level of employment" or "number of jobs", and "touch to 15 million" instead of "reached 15 million". Spelling is generally correct, but word choices are sometimes restrictive or unnatural, keeping the vocabulary score at a modest level.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, incorporating clauses introduced by "while" and "as compared to". However, control over grammar and punctuation is inconsistent. There are several grammatical errors, such as missing articles ("manufacturing industries had highest employment"), subject-verb agreement issues ("this figures dropped"), and incomplete phrasing ("which is just over 5 million in 1960, this figure is no more maintained"). These errors sometimes cause minor confusion for the reader.

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

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