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 grew 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 5.5

The student successfully identifies the main trends and makes relevant comparisons across the four economic sectors. The overview correctly highlights the broad upward and downward trajectories. However, there is a minor error in the overview and body paragraph regarding Healthcare and Retail: employment in Healthcare started at around 2 million in 1960 rather than 3 million, and Retail declined in the overview description where it actually increased overall from 6 million to 16 million (though the body paragraph correctly reports its growth). Furthermore, the response is under-length at 124 words, falling short of the 150-word minimum requirement. This impacts the task achievement score as the ideas are slightly limited due to word count.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response is logically organized with a clear introduction, an overall summary, and two body paragraphs separating the growing sectors from the declining or fluctuating ones. Cohesive devices such as 'Overall', 'Similarly', 'In contrast', and 'Meanwhile' are used appropriately to guide the reader through the data. Paragraphing is logical, and referencing is clear throughout the text, ensuring a smooth flow of information despite the relatively brief length.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The student demonstrates a sufficient range of vocabulary to report on graphical data effectively. Appropriate reporting verbs and adjectives such as 'increased steadily', 'grew gradually', 'climbed dramatically', and 'decreased gradually' are employed. There are occasional slight inaccuracies in collocation or detail, but the lexical resource is adequate to convey the trends clearly and with some precision.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

The response features a good mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as 'The line graph illustrates...' and '...employment in Retail grew gradually from 6 million in 1960 to 16 million in 2020.' Grammar and punctuation are generally well controlled with frequent error-free sentences, and minor slips do not impede communication at all.

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