Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · 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 6.0)

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 have 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 figure dropped gradually over the period in 2020. While, the agriculture industry had fewer positions which stood at 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 6.0

The student attempts to cover all sectors presented in the chart, noting manufacturing, retail, agriculture, and healthcare. An overview is provided, correctly identifying that manufacturing had the highest initial employment while retail and healthcare grew significantly. However, there are some inaccuracies and vague descriptions in the reporting of specific data points. For instance, the student states that retail and agriculture both end with a sharp boost, whereas agriculture actually declined to around 2 million jobs. Additionally, healthcare is described as beginning at 'roundabout 0.3 million' and ending at '15 million', while the chart shows it starting at 2 million and reaching 16 million. Despite these minor data discrepancies, the main features and trends are generally identified, placing this performance in the Band 6.0 range.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response is structured into an introduction, an overview paragraph, and two body paragraphs, which provides a logical framework for an academic task 1 report. Cohesive devices such as 'Overall', 'In contrast', 'However', and 'As compared to' are used to link ideas and guide the reader. However, referencing and progression are sometimes faulty. For example, the sentence 'While, the agriculture industry had fewer positions... this figure is no more maintained or dropped marginally in 2020' lacks smooth flow and clarity. Paragraphing is adequate, but internal cohesion within sentences occasionally feels mechanical or confusing, which is characteristic of a Band 6 performance.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The student demonstrates an adequate vocabulary for the task, attempting less common phrases such as 'ranked highest', 'dropped gradually', and 'climbed significantly'. However, there are notable word choice and collocation inaccuracies throughout the text, such as 'number of employment' instead of 'number of jobs' or 'employment figures', and 'stayed steady to its ending year'. Furthermore, the phrase 'no more maintained' is unnatural. Vocabulary control is sufficient to convey the general message, but errors in collocation and lexical precision prevent the response from achieving a higher band, fitting comfortably at Band 6.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing subordinate clauses such as 'While, the agriculture industry had fewer positions which stood at...' and 'As compared to health care industry beginning with lowest stats...'. However, grammatical accuracy is inconsistent. There are missing prepositions, punctuation errors (such as unnecessary commas after introductory words like 'While,'), and incomplete verb structures in participial phrases ('beginning with lowest stats', 'touch to 15 million'). While these errors do not impede overall communication, they occur frequently enough across complex structures to restrict the score to Band 5.5.

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

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