Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-25
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 chart illustrates the information about the numerous jobs in the four departments of the economy in the United states of America between the year 1960 and 2020.
From an overall perspective, the line chart shows the increase and decrease in the number of jobs between 1960 and 2020. The job sections includes Manufacturing, Retail, Agriculture and Healthcare.
The manufacturing deparment shows a spike and increase from 15 million to 20 million and then gradually decreases to 13 million in 2020. The Retail sector boosts over years from 6 million jobs to 16 million jobs in 2020 and crosses the manufacturing section.
The Agriculture department exhibits decline in the number of jobs from 6 million and reaches its lowest level in 2020 that is 3 million; the starting point for Healthcare department. The healthcare sector shows a great spike from 3 million and reaches its highest level in 2020 that is 16 milion and equals re
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5
The response covers all four economic sectors shown in the graph and attempts to report the main trends and data points, such as the peak in manufacturing and the rise in healthcare. However, there are some inaccuracies in reporting the data compared to the prompt's source material, such as stating that agriculture starts at 6 million and reaches 3 million in 2020 (the graph shows it at 3 million in 1960 and 2 million in 2020). Furthermore, the overview is rather basic, and the response cuts off abruptly at the end ('equals re'), leaving the final comparison incomplete. This places the response firmly in Band 5.5, as it addresses the task partially with some underdeveloped and inaccurate details.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The response is organised into multiple paragraphs, attempting an introduction, an overview, and body paragraphs for different sectors. However, the overall progression is disrupted by the abrupt ending of the text. Cohesive devices are basic and repetitive, such as the frequent use of 'and' and 'then'. Referencing is sometimes unclear, for instance, when introducing the healthcare department's starting point by connecting it to agriculture. Overall, the structural framework shows a coherent attempt, but mechanical cohesion and the incomplete ending limit the score to a 5.5.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary relevant to the task, including words such as 'departments', 'sector', 'spike', and 'decline'. However, there are noticeable word choice errors and awkward collocations, such as 'job sections', 'Retail sector boosts over years', and spelling mistakes like 'deparment' and 'milion'. Less common vocabulary is attempted with limited success and precision. Because these lexical errors cause occasional difficulty and lack precision, a Band 5.5 is appropriate for this criterion.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
The response features a mix of simple and some complex sentence structures, such as 'The manufacturing deparment shows a spike and increase... and then gradually decreases'. However, grammatical errors are frequent, including missing articles ('in United states of America'), subject-verb agreement issues ('The job sections includes'), and awkward phrasing. Punctuation and sentence boundary issues are also present, compounded by the truncated ending of the essay. These persistent errors place the grammar performance at a Band 5.5.
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