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 illustration displays, the employment level in various economy fields in the US from 1960 to 2020.

Overall, the employment figure of both retail and healthcare sectors grew continuesly over the time-period given in question. The employment level soared in first two decades, whereas it fell steadily till 2000. However, agriculture sector declined for most of the time in terms of number of jobs.

Retail and agriculture fields progressed continuesly. In 2000, the employment level in healthcare was lower than retail, while it leveled off in 2020.

In 1960, employment figure was highest in manufacturing among four fields. It surged to 20 million in 1980, but it declined gradually and ended at approximately 13 million.

In contrast, agriculture sector plunged sharply in first two decades, while it almost leveled off for next twenty years. In the last twenty years, it declined again and reached just over 2 million figure.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The response covers all four sectors and tracks the major trends across the sixty-year period, adequately meeting the requirements of Task 1. However, there are some inaccurate generalisations in the second paragraph, where the student states that retail and healthcare 'grew continuesly' and then immediately contradicts this by saying 'whereas it fell steadily till 2000' (referring to the first two decades). Furthermore, the data description contains a minor factual slip in paragraph three: the student claims that in 2000 'the employment level in healthcare was lower than retail, while it leveled off in 2020,' whereas the chart shows retail and healthcare actually intersecting or reaching identical values (16 million) in 2020. Finally, because the word count is 149 words, just below the 150-word minimum, a minor penalty applies to Task Achievement for under-length, limiting the band to 5.5.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The essay is divided into five paragraphs, though some paragraphs are very short (one or two sentences), creating a somewhat disjointed reading experience. There is an overall logical progression moving from an overview to specific sector details, but the coherence is weakened by contradictory statements within the transition from paragraph two to paragraph three. Cohesive devices are used, but sometimes mechanically or inappropriately, such as using 'whereas' and 'however' without clear contrast logic ('The employment level soared in first two decades, whereas it fell steadily till 2000'). Paragraphing is attempted to separate ideas, but the structural flow lacks the cohesion expected at higher bands.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The student attempts some less common vocabulary related to data trends, such as 'soared', 'plunged', 'leveled off', and 'gradually'. However, there are persistent spelling and word-choice errors, notably 'continuesly' (continuously), 'economy fields' (economic sectors), and misuse of the word 'progressed' to describe economic declines. Word formation and spelling inaccuracies slightly impede clarity in places. While the range of vocabulary is adequate to describe the general trends of the chart, the frequent lexical errors prevent the score from reaching Band 6.5.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, such as subordinate clauses ('while it almost leveled off for next twenty years'). However, grammatical accuracy is inconsistent. There are several missing articles ('in first two decades', 'in agriculture sector', 'in last twenty years') and prepositions, as well as punctuation issues. Sentence structures occasionally become awkward or confusing due to pronoun reference errors. Although the grammatical errors do not completely prevent understanding, their frequency across the short text keeps the performance within the Band 5.5 descriptor range.

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

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