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 graph illustrates changes in the number of jobs across four sectors(Manufacturing,Retail,Agriculture and Healthcare)from 1960 to 2020 in the US.

Overall,it is immediately apparent that healthcare showed the most significant increase over time,Whereas agriculture remained the lowest throughout the period.Additionally the data reveals clear upward and downward trends among the different categories.

Turning to the details,healthcare started at approximately 2 millions and experienced a steady increase,reaching around 14 millions by the end of period.making in the most prominent trend on the graph.Similarly,retail rose gradually from about 6 millions to 16 millions,Although its growth was less dramatics compared to the leading category.In contrast,manufacturing fluctuated slightly but remained relatively stable throughout the period,ending at around 13 millions.

At the lower end of the scale,agriculture began at a low point of approximately 6 millions and showed a slight decline,making it the least significant trend overall.likewise,manufacturing remained relatively flat,hovering around 15 millions across the period.In comparison,retail showed moderate changes,highlighting a noticeable contrast between the strongest and weakest performers in the chart.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The student successfully addresses all parts of the prompt, providing an overview and reporting the main features with relevant comparisons. The opening overview correctly highlights healthcare as seeing the most significant increase and agriculture remaining the lowest. However, there are some data inaccuracies and contradictions in the body paragraphs. For instance, the student states that healthcare reached 'around 14 millions', whereas the graph shows it reaching approximately 16 million in 2020. Furthermore, in the final paragraph, the student claims manufacturing 'remained relatively flat, hovering around 15 millions', which contradicts their earlier accurate statement that it fluctuated and ended at 13 million, and misinterprets the agricultural and retail data. Despite these data misreadings, the response clearly attempts a comprehensive overview.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response is arranged logically with a clear introduction, an overview paragraph, and body paragraphs dedicated to different trends. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate ideas. Cohesive devices such as 'Overall', 'Turning to the details', 'Similarly', and 'In contrast' are employed to guide the reader through the data. However, referencing and progression are occasionally flawed, particularly in the final paragraph where ideas repeat or contradict previous points without clear logical development. Paragraph 4 feels somewhat redundant and repetitive regarding manufacturing and retail. Nevertheless, the overall arrangement remains coherent and easy to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully using terms like 'fluctuated', 'prominent trend', 'gradually', and 'stable'. There are, however, several lexical errors, incorrect plurals, and awkward word forms, such as 'millions' (used as a noun with numbers like '2 millions' and '14 millions'), 'dramatics' instead of 'dramatic', and missing spaces after punctuation marks ('sectors(Manufacturing,Retail...'). Less common vocabulary is attempted with mixed success. These errors do not seriously impede communication, but they restrict the lexical score to the mid-range.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response shows a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing relative clauses and introductory prepositional phrases effectively (e.g., 'The line graph illustrates changes...', 'As agriculture remained the lowest...'). There are good error-free sentences, but punctuation and mechanical errors are noticeable, notably missing spaces after commas and periods throughout the text ('Overall,it', 'healthcare,reaching'). Grammatical structures are generally controlled, though minor slips like 'making in the most prominent trend' (instead of making it) detract from accuracy. The grammar is sufficient to communicate the core message without major difficulty.

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