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)

he 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.

In contrast, 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 gradually 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 climbed dramatically to 20 million, and declined steadily over four decades to 13 million in 2020. The number of jobs in Agriculture declined slowly from six million in 1960 to 3 million over the six decades.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

The student has attempted to summarise the main trends in the line graph, correctly identifying the overall movements for all four sectors (e.g., noting that Manufacturing and Healthcare rose overall while Retail and Agriculture declined). However, there are some minor factual inaccuracies in the data reporting. For instance, the overview incorrectly states that Manufacturing rose overall, when it actually finished lower in 2020 (13 million) than in 1960 (15 million). Furthermore, the response falls short of the 150-word minimum requirement, containing only 133 words. This under-length impacts the overall development and completeness of the task, capping the score for this criterion at Band 5.0.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response features a clear introductory sentence that paraphrases the prompt and an overall summary paragraph. However, the paragraphing is underdeveloped, with the body text compressed into a couple of short blocks. Cohesive devices are used, but they are sometimes repetitive or misused (such as starting two consecutive sentences with 'In contrast'). Logical progression between ideas is occasionally disrupted by minor contradictions, but the overall arrangement remains generally comprehensible. These limitations place the response comfortably within the Band 6.0 descriptor.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The student demonstrates an adequate vocabulary for the task, successfully using economy-related terms such as 'sectors', 'employees', 'jobs', and 'millions'. There are attempts at less common lexical items and descriptive verbs like 'climbed dramatically', 'declined slowly', and 'grew gradually'. However, there are some inaccuracies and awkwardness in word choice, such as 'number of employees' instead of 'number of jobs' (given the graph tracks job slots), and minor errors in prepositions and collocations. The range is sufficient to convey the main points, earning a Band 6.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, such as 'Although... / while the number of jobs... declined.' Grammatical control is generally fair, with correct past-tense verb forms used to describe historical data (e.g., 'was fifteen million in 1960 and climbed dramatically'). There are a few minor errors, such as the missing capital letter at the very beginning of the text ('he line graph'), but these do not impede communication. The sentence structures display enough variety and accuracy to satisfy the requirements of Band 6.0.

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

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