Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-24
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 the number of employees in four different sectors in the United States between 1960 and 2020.
Overall, the number of jobs in Manufacturing and Healthcare rose, while the number of jobs in Retail and Agriculture declined.
To begin, the number of jobs in Healthcare fell steadily from three million in 1960 to approximatelysixteen million over six decades. The number of jobs in Retail steadily grew six million in 1960 and to 16 million in 2020 through six decades.
In contrast, the number of jobs in Manufacturing was fifteen million in 1960 and dramatically climbed to 20 million, and steadily declined over four decades to 13 million in 2020. While the number of jobs in Agriculture fell steadily from six million in 1960 to 3 million over the six decades.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0
The student attempts to cover the main trends in the line graph, providing an overview that mentions the rise in Manufacturing and Healthcare alongside the decline in Retail and Agriculture. However, there are several notable data inaccuracies when reporting specific figures. For example, the student states that jobs in Healthcare 'fell steadily from three million in 1960', whereas the graph clearly shows it started at two million and rose to sixteen million. Additionally, the description of Retail states it grew 'six million in 1960 and to 16 million', which misses a preposition and misinterprets the trajectory slightly. Crucially, the response is only 133 words long, failing to meet the minimum requirement of 150 words. This under-length impacts task completion, limiting the score.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The response has a basic structure, beginning with an introductory paraphrase and an overall summary paragraph, followed by body paragraphs detailing the economic sectors. However, the paragraphing is underdeveloped, with the final sentence appearing isolated and lacking logical progression. While basic cohesive devices such as 'To begin', 'In contrast', and 'While' are used to link ideas, some sentences are awkwardly joined or abruptly structured, such as 'The number of jobs in Retail steadily grew six million in 1960 and to 16 million in 2020 through six decades.' Cohesion feels somewhat mechanical and repetitive at times, placing this response firmly in the band 6 category.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The student demonstrates an adequate vocabulary range suitable for describing numerical data and economic trends, using terms such as 'illustrates', 'steadily', 'dramatically climbed', and 'declined'. However, there are notable lexical errors and imprecise word choices throughout the text. For instance, the student writes that Healthcare 'fell steadily' when it actually grew, which is a major data-handling error rather than strictly vocabulary, but phrases like 'grew six million in 1960 and to 16 million' lack necessary prepositions. Less common vocabulary is attempted with limited success. Spelling is generally accurate, but lexical control is inconsistent.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
The essay displays a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, attempting time clauses and comparative forms such as 'While the number of jobs in Agriculture fell steadily...'. However, grammatical accuracy is inconsistent. There is a glaring error in the sentence about Healthcare, where the student states employment 'fell steadily from three million in 1960 to approximatelysixteen million', combining a downward verb with data that clearly increased. Missing prepositions also occur, such as 'grew six million' instead of 'grew from six million'. Despite these errors, meaning is mostly recoverable, placing it at a solid band 6 level.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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