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.
In contrast, the number of jobs in Healthcare increased steadily from three million in 1960 to approximately sixteen million over six decades. The number of jobs in Retail rose gradually from six million in 1960 to 16 million in 2020.
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
| 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 covers the main trends across the four sectors over the given period, accurately noting that Manufacturing and Healthcare rose overall while Retail and Agriculture declined. However, there is a minor contradiction in the overview where Healthcare is stated to have risen, yet the graph shows Retail also rising significantly alongside Healthcare. Furthermore, the response is under-length at 130 words (failing the 150-word minimum), which places a ceiling on Task Achievement. Data points are generally accurate, such as 'six million in 1960 to 16 million in 2020' for Retail, but key comparative overviews lack complete depth.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The response has a basic logical structure with an introductory sentence and an overall summary statement. However, paragraphing is underdeveloped, and cohesive devices are repetitive and poorly managed. The phrase 'In contrast' is misused twice consecutively in the middle of the text (introducing non-contrasting or parallel points), which disrupts the logical flow. There is a lack of smooth progression between sentences, resulting in a somewhat mechanical delivery.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, featuring appropriate terms such as 'illustrates', 'declined', 'climb dramatically', and 'steadily'. However, the range is limited and repetitive. There is an inaccuracy in the overview where the student states the number of jobs in Healthcare and Manufacturing rose, but forgets to include Retail which also experienced a massive upward trend. Less common lexical items are attempted but lack sophistication or stylistic precision.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
The student demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as 'The line graph illustrates the number of employees...' and 'The number of jobs in Healthcare increased steadily from three million in 1960 to approximately sixteen million over six decades.' Grammatical control is generally fair with many error-free sentences, though the structural variety remains restricted. Punctuation is standard, and errors do not impede communication.
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