Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · 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 6.0)

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 increased, whereas employment in Retail and Agriculture declined over the period.

The number of jobs in Healthcare increased steadily from 3 million in 1960 to approximately 16 million in 2020. Similarly, employment in Retail rose gradually from 6 million in 1960 to 16 million in 2020.

In contrast, the number of jobs in Manufacturing stood at 15 million in 1960 and climbed dramatically to 20 million before declining steadily over the following four decades to 13 million in 2020. Meanwhile, employment in Agriculture decreased gradually from 6 million in 1960 to 3 million in 2020.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

The student has attempted to summarise the main features and trends of the graph, identifying all four sectors and providing an overview. However, there are some minor data inaccuracies when compared to the visual reference. For example, Healthcare started at approximately 2 million in 1960 rather than 3 million, and Retail employment actually increased to 16 million in 2020 while Manufacturing fell to 13 million (the student correctly identified these final figures, but misstated the trend for Retail in the overview by claiming employment in Retail declined). Furthermore, the response falls short of the 150-word minimum requirement, containing only 124 words. Consequently, the task has only been partially addressed.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response is organized into clear paragraphs, beginning with an introduction, followed by an overview, and then two body paragraphs detailing the specific trends. Cohesive devices and transition markers such as 'Overall', 'Similarly', 'In contrast', and 'Meanwhile' are used appropriately to guide the reader through the data. Information is logically grouped by sector trends (increasing versus decreasing sectors), which establishes a clear overarching progression throughout the short text.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is generally adequate and appropriate for a task of this nature. The student successfully employs terms related to trend description such as 'fluctuated', 'climbed dramatically', 'declined steadily', and 'decreased gradually'. While the range is somewhat limited and relies on standard reporting language rather than more sophisticated or uncommon lexical items, word choice is mostly accurate and allows the message to be communicated clearly without impediment.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

The response demonstrates good grammatical control, successfully utilizing a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. Examples include subordinate and comparative clauses such as 'whereas employment in Retail and Agriculture declined over the period' and 'before declining steadily over the following four decades'. Grammatical accuracy is high with very few errors, and punctuation is handled correctly throughout the writing.

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