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 grew steadily from three million in 1960 to approximately sixteen million over six decades. The number of jobs in Retail grew from six million in 1960 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 response attempts to cover the main trends in the line graph, identifying overall patterns and citing specific data points such as the figures for Healthcare and Retail in 1960 and 2020. However, there are significant factual errors in the overview and body paragraphs. For instance, the overview incorrectly states that Retail declined, whereas the graph clearly shows it rose from 6 million to 16 million. Furthermore, the number of jobs in Healthcare started at 2 million in 1960, not 3 million, and Manufacturing peaked at 20 million in 1980 before declining. Crucially, the response falls short of the 150-word minimum requirement, containing only 133 words. These inaccuracies and the under-length penalty prevent the task achievement score from reaching higher bands.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The text demonstrates a clear attempt at logical organisation, beginning with an introductory sentence, followed by an overall summary and subsequent body paragraphs detailing specific trends. Cohesive devices such as 'Overall', 'To begin', and 'In contrast' are utilised to structure the response, though 'through six decades' is repeated awkwardly. Paragraphing is present, separating the introduction, overview, and body details. However, referencing and logical progression are occasionally flawed, particularly due to the mischaracterisation of the overall trends in the second sentence. Overall cohesion is somewhat mechanical and affected by the shortness of the text, but the information arrangement remains generally coherent.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The vocabulary used is generally adequate for the task, featuring appropriate reporting verbs and nouns such as 'illustrates', 'employees', 'sectors', 'rose', and 'declined'. The student attempts some less common phrasing like 'dramatically climbed' and 'grew steadily'. However, there are instances of lexical inaccuracy or awkward phrasing, such as using 'employees' instead of 'jobs' or 'sectors' when discussing job counts, and the repetitive use of time phrases like 'over six decades'. Spelling and word choice are generally clear and do not impede communication, placing the lexical range firmly at a band 6 level.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
The response displays a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as 'The line graph illustrates the number of... between 1960 and 2020' and 'While the number of jobs in Agriculture fell steadily...'. There are several grammatically correct sentences, and punctuation is generally handled well. However, the final sentence is a sentence fragment beginning with 'While', which lacks an independent main clause to complete the thought. Other minor errors in expression occur, but overall, the grammatical structures used demonstrate enough control that communication is rarely impeded.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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